The Downward Spiral
by TheEvilPeaches
Summary: Katniss came to realize that neither of them are perfect, and the Capitol loves it that way. It might have been bearable if she wasn't a victor with the sadist from District 2. AU
1. Strong

**Important Notes: **First off, I'm going to let you know that I am simply following a prompt chart from , the fanfic50 challenge community, table 3. I happen to like looking at a word and writing a whole scene off of it just to see where it ends up.

Second- As much as I love Peeta/Katniss, I feel the need to write some Cato/Katniss. This being said, I am giving you a **warning** that this will become a full **R-Rated **fic soon enough, if it isn't already with just Cato's foul mouth. There will be dark themes, and I mean a step further than just kids killing kids. Sexual themes, etc. I am also going to warn you that this will be AU, because I am entertaining the idea of Peeta dying instead of Cato and Cato being chosen as the other victor, much to Katniss's dismay. Snow will have a field day with that, I'm sure.

**Disclaimer: **NO. I don't own anything. The Hunger Games belongs to Suzanne Collins, as do the characters.

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><p>Katniss has seen power before. She has seen it in the way that the Capitol controls everyone and everything. She has seen it in Gale, how he protects not just his family, but hers as well. She saw it in her father, with his kindness and understanding. She has seen it within Peeta, his simple smile and charming wit, his strong baker hands.<p>

She has also _felt _power. Katniss felt it wrack her body with pain as the District 2 Tribute slammed her down on the training mat, knocking all the air from her starving lungs. There is some polite clapping from the constant group of trainers and onlookers in the training room. Triumph glints in the blue green eyes of the monstrous boy crouching above her.

"Get off me," Katniss hisses as her breath comes back to her.

Her opponent smirks mockingly and leans back, his large hand leaving her neck where he had been holding her pinned to the floor. The female Tribute from District 2 comes walking over smoothly to join her counterpart. "Well done, Cato," the small looking girl commented, amusement blatantly marring her face.

Katniss scowls and rubs her neck, faintly realizing that Cinna would be dealing with more than one bruise on her skin tonight. A hand is held out to her and she softly smiles up at Peeta as he helps her up. "Are you alright," he whispers to her.

Katniss shrugs, making a conscious effort to not rub her aching back. "Sure, if feeling like you got hit with a brick feels alright," she mutters back.

Peeta glances over his shoulder at the careers and rolls his eyes. "Whoever thought pitting you against that beast was a good idea must have been off their rocker. I'm not even sure I could go at him one on one."

Katniss scowls. "It doesn't matter does it? One way or another we are going to be stuck in an arena with him."

Peeta shudders. "I try not to think of it," he says as he walks back to the practice arena to work on camouflage.

Katniss frowns at the world and thinks about how she can't avoid the inevitable and how she is going to have to get her hands on a bow in the arena, or else Mr. Muscles probably wasn't going to be dying by her hand.

Close combat just wasn't an option there.

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><p>The girl from District 12 is a threat; she just doesn't know it yet. It started the night that the Tributes were shown to the world in their chariots. Cato and Clove had looked glorious together, both confident in their own strengths, on victory. Then came the awe of the crowd as District 12 came rolling in on fire- on fucking <em>fire.<em>

Clove complained about the loss of sponsors over this and Cato had told her to shut her damn mouth before he shut it for her. After all, complaining could be seen as a weakness and they couldn't afford to shame their district with weakness, not when they had been working so hard for this chance.

He heard the District 12 prep team gloating over how the pair had definitely stolen the show and he glared in their general direction. Please. Dressing up those ghetto rats wasn't going to be enough to help them win. Just because it looks like a prize horse doesn't mean it runs like one after all.

And when it came to Cato he could talk the talk and walk the walk.

He had intended to show those two upstarts _exactly _what being a career meant. Cato had been thrilled when the training master had decided to set up some one on one combat skirmishes just to test out the skills of some of the Tributes.

The trainer had drawn names, and it was simply luck that he got the frowning girl from District 12. Her sharp grey eyes had fallen upon his face the moment his name had been called alongside her own. The guy she had come with seemed to pale just a little and Cato found this interesting because he had heard that the two had been holding hands in their chariot. A couple? You had to be joking.

They took their positions on the mat and Cato smirked while the girl before him scowled. He came to wonder if she ever cracked a smile, but he supposed people from the coal mine district didn't have much to smile about anyway. The trainer signaled them to start and hesitation came to the girl's face as she tried to decide what to do.

Cato's grin widened as he charged, knowing she wouldn't be able to block him if he came at her like a tornado. At the last moment she dove out of the way like a coward, but he clipped her, causing her to go down. Within moments he turned and went after her, seeing another opening while she was down. Cato quickly found that she was quicker than she looked and she rolled out of the way, gaining her footing quickly, dancing away from him.

He came at her again and faked to the left, watching as she started to go right. Too bad for her, he had anticipated this move. He got sturdy footing and swung his arm out, his large hand catching her around the neck and he used as much force as he could to slam her down to the ground without breaking her neck, which would be regrettable because then he'd be in trouble.

There was a thud as her back hit the mat and the air rushed out of her body. He held her down, watching as she desperately tried to get air. He briefly thought about tightening his hold on her neck, just to see her eyes constrict with fear as she fought for air.

But he didn't do it. There was time for that in the arena and excessive violence in the training room could get him in trouble too, or worse, thrown out.

Later that night as Cato was prepped by his team he dwelled on the idea that he had finally shown Katniss Everdeen who was boss. It clearly wasn't her. He faintly heard the door open and heard loud heels clicking on the stone floor. "Hello, Cato," Clove said airily, sitting beside him as his stylist worked on his blonde hair.

He grunted his acknowledgment. Clove gave him an amused look, "Oh, not so friendly this evening. You know what I think?"

His lips curled. "Enlighten me, Clove."

Her cold grin grew larger. "I think you had fun playing with slum girl today. I know how you enjoy putting people in their place below you."

Cato couldn't help but feel like that comment had a double meaning in it. He simply decided to not look into it further because Clove was always going on about his sadistic tendencies, she had been ever since training school back home in District 2. "They upstaged us, I was just showing them winning wasn't going to involve makeup and a few pretty clothes."

The girl simply smiled endearingly at him- as if looking at a favorite toy. It was one her most disturbing tendencies, this super superiority complex of hers. She ran a slight hand down his cheek and said, "Just keep telling yourself that. I know you have too much fun making people your victim."

Cato rolled his eyes. He hated it when she was right.

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> Let me know what you think so far. I know, not a lot of romance yet, but we have to work to get there (I believe in quality work over the fast, pointless gratification of pairings hooking up instantly, which is unrealistic. I plan to make this as realistic as this pairing can freaking get. Seriously.)

The more you review, the faster I update :)


	2. Hope

**AN: **Oh wow...you are all so wonderful! Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers, you definitely inspired me to update again right away. You all made me smile, thank you for your kind comments! I am so surprised that I got such a warm welcome with this fanfic! Once again, thank you. All of you matter so much, reviewers are what keep writers going :)**  
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**Disclaimer: **The Hunger Games does not belong to me. They belong to Suzanne Collins.

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><p>:::028. Hope:::<p>

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><p>Breathing. It's a rhythm she can never forget. In and out, slow and steady. Her eyes, grey like a thunderous storm, are fixated on the target and she knows this is her only chance to prove to the Capitol that she is not going to lie down and simply <em>die.<em> As she exhales she lets the bolt fly, sweat trickling down the back of her neck.

Katniss misses the target.

She whirls, looking at the men who will decide her number in the battle arena, the men who will decide if the world thinks she is weak. Every curse word she knows is running through her head because _this _is not the way to make an impression and she is mortified because Katniss knows she is better than this. She never misses, it was just the nerves. It had to be.

The Capitol pricks are ignoring her now, going back to their food and wine. Katniss scowls in their direction, furious. She raises the bow and this time aims at a target that is more important, a target that can decide life or death. If she misses, she could kill a man.

She inhales, aims, and then exhales, letting the bolt go. There are screams of shock and she shoots into the crowd of inattentive men. Katniss hits her target this time.

She smiles up at them mockingly and bows low. "Thank you for your time, gentlemen," she utters sarcastically.

She turns on her heel and storms out. Pricks. The whole lot of them.

It becomes a waiting game afterward. She sits with Peeta, Haymitch, and Cinna, waiting for the results to be released. Peeta leans over to speak to her, asking, "How do you think you did?"

Thinking on the fact that she scared the crap out of those men, she can't debate if they are going to rate her good or bad. "I'm not sure. I'm hoping for good though. Maybe I won't be a target right away if people are afraid to go after me in the arena."

Peeta shrugs his broad shoulders and grins, "I probably did awful. It's not like they were paying that much attention to me anyway."

Katniss nods, "I know the feeling."

His blue gaze lingers on her longer than is normal and Katniss once again wonders if he was lying when he said liking her was just for show. Haymitch's yell interrupts her thoughts as he points at the screen. "Typical! Those damn careers always take the highest numbers. Dammit."

Katniss's interest perks up again because clearly the ratings have started. District 1 was rated decently high. District 2 rolled on, showing the picture of the slight dark haired girl called Clove. Peeta's eyebrows rise at her score of ten. "I could crush that twig with my bare hands," he mutters to Katniss, who nods in agreement.

Next up is the tribute that Katniss had to fight in the training ring, Cato. She scowls at his grinning face on the screen, because he's smiling like he's some model on display. His teeth are a brilliant white, whiter than most people's teeth because no one in the Seam was able to keep their teeth _that _clean.

Katniss sighs as he is awarded a ten as well. "Go figure," she says dryly, "he just has to stand there and he's intimidating."

Katniss continues to brood until Peeta's name pops up on the screen, his image slightly grinning. He is given an eight and Katniss pats him on the back awkwardly. He did decently, but not as good as the careers, and that was what mattered the most because they were the real threat and everyone knew it.

Katniss holds her breath because she is up and this is the moment that decides everything. This decides if she will be the underdog or if she will be the big player in the ring. She is desperately hoping for the power that comes with being the strongest mark in the games.

She feels the air soar out of her lungs as an eleven spills onto the screen. She did it. She beat the careers.

Peeta gives her a warm hug as she laughs. Haymitch takes a drink from his flask and smiles with genuine happiness. Maybe this time he will have a student win this stupid game. He comes over and envelops both Peeta and Katniss in a large sloppy hug. They both complain until he gets off of them.

His face goes serious then, because he knows getting an eleven and an eight are not enough to help win this thing. Nothing is ever enough. "Don't be celebrating too soon. Remember, you still have to survive the arena, and those careers are not going to give in without a tough fight."

"Katniss can take them easy," Peeta laughs, waving him off.

Katniss punches him in the shoulder for good measure. Haymitch only shakes his head. "You don't understand, do you? Those kids aren't kids. They _never _have been. They've lived their whole lives for this one moment. You can't even comprehend what that does to someone. You can't even imagine what training to kill someone from birth can do to the mind."

Peeta and Katniss stop laughing, their sloppy smiles sliding off their faces. Haymitch waves his flask in the air as he continues his monologue. "I've seen some twisted things in my time, but generally nothing as twisted as what rolls out of District 1 and 2. You got kids who love killing, who obsess over death. They enjoy the art of killing. Then you got the collateral damage."

Haymitch points to his head. "Their minds get screwed up. Some like pain, others like causing it. So I suggest just staying as far as you can from them for as long as you can. You might live longer."

Katniss turned her head to look back at the screen where all of the tributes were now displayed. Her eyes rested upon the handsome boy from District 2 and she frowned, remembering how he had been the tribute to lunge forward and volunteer for his District. What were the odds that he had a freaky secret? Katniss huffed; it was probably better if she didn't know.

Effie wobbled in on her ridiculous heels, saying in her chipper voice, "Ice cream anyone?"

They all groaned in unison.

Effie cocks her head to the side in confusion, "What? What did I say?"

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><p>The crystal vase shattered against the wall, the sound of it ringing throughout the room.<p>

_Everything he touches breaks_, Clove muses to herself silently, _everything, without fail_.

She reclines on the plush couch, filing her nails with disinterest as Cato flips over a glass table, spilling everything onto the floor. "_Eleven! _A fucking _eleven!_"

The Avox in the corner looks horrified at the carnage unfolding before her eyes, but Clove merely watches it mutely. She knows from experience that speaking to Cato will do nothing to calm him down. He's seeing red and he's not going to stop until he's destroyed everything in reach.

Their liaison to the Capitol chooses this moment to stroll into their lounge and her eyes widen in horror. "What is going on in here? Cato-"

Cato whirls, his eyes flashing like emeralds. "Get out, now, you_ useless_ twat," he shouts hoarsely.

The woman slams the door and disappears instantly. The destruction continues on for many minutes until Cato exhausts himself. Clove finds it amusing that he's getting so worked up over some girl, in training school he didn't give a flying crap about them. Clove knows this because she heard the older girls talking about him; used and abused they would call themselves.

"Are you quite done yet," she asks lightly, starting to file the nails on her other hand.

Cato shoots her a dark glare, and Clove muses on how dangerous he looks and it might have been tempting if she had been interested in guys that she knew would try to walk all over her. "How are you not pissed about this," he finally croaks, his voice broken from all the yelling.

Clove raises an eyebrow. "Oh I am, I just have the self control to not be a bull in a china shop. Truly, you humiliate me and yourself with your actions."

He shrugs his large shoulders, the material stretching over his form. "I'm going to get her. I'm going to kill that stupid boy toy of hers first, just to make her miserable. Then she'll taste my steel while she weeps over his body."

He stops talking as Clove begins to laugh loudly. She grins at him coldly, "Oh, Cato, I hope she eats you alive!"

Cato sneers at her, "Bitch."

He dreams of her that night. The Girl on Fire. He's chasing her through the woods and she's _fast_. He has brute strength and endurance and he isn't about to give up the chase. He's feeling her flame running through his veins and he feels like he would do anything just to get her in his grasp. Everywhere he turns she is there, taunting him with that _look. _"I'm going to fucking kill you," he snarls at her.

His heart stops as she smiles in response, and it's all wrong because he's never seen her smile at him.

The dream switches and he has Katniss on her back, straddling her body with his hand around her neck, strangling her. She's angry, those soulful eyes of hers glaring up at him furiously as her body struggles against his much larger one, her hands clawing against his. He presses his hips down against hers, trying to stop her from moving so much, but it only causes her to buck harder against him and it feels so-

No. He stops that thought fast because he wants to kill her, not fu-

Her fist slams into the side of his head making him lose his concentration. She's beginning to get desperate because she is losing air fast and Katniss begins to squirm against his body harder and her fingernails are digging into his skin, drawing blood and Cato is overheating and-

Cato wakes up, drenched in his own sweat. He looks down at his hips in shame and horror because he knows _that's _not supposed to be a normal reaction to that sort of a dream. He retreats to the shower and turns it on as cold as possible and rests his head against the tile wall, gritting his teeth angrily.

Oh how Clove would laugh if she saw him now, because he's sure Clove's heard about him anyway from training school. He knew what the girls would whisper about him in the hallways.

"_Oh didn't you hear? Sometimes Cato mixes up pain and pleasure. Like, he mixes them up real bad."_

Just rumors, of course.

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>Alright, so here is the second part. We now have the stage set to go into the arena and have some fun with Cato and Katniss.

Sidenote: Rumors, Cato? Stop lying to us.

Once again, I update faster when I get responses because it helps me gauge how interested people are in the story! You all did so wonderful last chapter, you guys spoiled me rotten with all your reviews!


	3. Enough

**AN: **Once again I love you all. I actually started writing this chapter last night while the reviews were coming in because you all motivate me so much :)

Does anyone else find it interesting that Cato/Katniss seems to have a huge fanbase? I'm surprised, there are actually quite a few fics on listed for them. Obviously not as many as Peeta/Katniss (but so many of those get so similar...)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Hunger Games or its characters. Those belong to Suzanne Collins.

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><p>With less than twenty four hours left outside of the arena, the tributes are all packing in as much training time as possible. Some just pack in as much food as possible because they figure they aren't going to be seeing it again anytime soon. Others mope around in their rooms in a perpetual state of depression.<p>

Impending doom is a depressing thing, if one must know.

Katniss spends some time with Peeta trying to figure out how in tarnation he is able to camouflage himself so freaking well. She only wishes she had some penchant for that particular skill because then she might be guaranteed a win. Hide and hunt, it would all be so simple.

Except for this situation with Peeta himself because Katniss really doesn't want to be the one to do him in. He's charming and he's begun to grow on her, which is unfortunate because making friends with people she might have to kill later isn't going to get her very far in life.

She tries avoiding him, and ends up hating the hurt look on his face. Haymitch always tells her to play up the love story because the Capitol clearly digs it. Katniss just thinks that the whole situation is sick and wrong because people shouldn't be controlling who she loves and what she thinks.

When she enters the training ring for the last time, she glances around and sees that not all the Tributes have seen fit to hone their skills. Katniss glances at her beloved bow but realizes that she needs to try other weapons out.

Katniss selects a dagger and tries a few moves with it. She's slightly clumsy with the whole hacking and slicing thing, but that's only because she is an archer by nature. She excels at fighting from a distance, not in close combat. It takes her nearly ten minutes to realize that someone is watching her movements.

"Twelve, I can tell you right now that you need to stick with bows, because I will slit your throat with your own knife if you plan on going into the arena with one."

Katniss stops her movements and turns to see the small dark haired girl from District 2, Clove, sitting a few feet away from her smiling. _She's always smiling, _thinks Katniss, _it's like she thinks the rest of us humans are just _so_ amusing._

Katniss straightens and cracks her back, trying to look unconcerned and ignores the girl completely. If Clove is trying to goad her into a fight, it won't work. Clove simply strides over to Katniss and leans a hip against the weapon rack. "You know, ignoring me isn't polite," Clove states.

Katniss throws her a look and simply says, "I wasn't aware I was required to be polite to you."

Clove's smile slips briefly before reappearing. "It's okay, I forgive you this once, but only because you're from District 12. I've heard they don't teach manners there."

Katniss prays for strength because she really wants to slap this girl silly. Her prayers must have been heard because Clove becomes momentarily distracted. Her hazel eyes drift to a spot beyond Katniss's shoulder and she pulls a disgusted face. "Ugh, what is that dumb skank _doing_?"

Curiosity gets the better of Katniss and she looks over her shoulder to see who Clove is talking about. "Well," Katniss says, "it looks like she's…um…flirting."

Clove raises an eyebrow in disbelief, "Oh, is that they're calling it these days?"

Katniss tilts her head to the side and bites her lip. "It's not what I would do, but hey, whatever floats her boat."

Off in the distance, the blonde girl, Glimmer, was trying her best to get at Cato. She was pawing at him and smiling at everything he said, her hands running down his chest. Katniss snorted; didn't that girl know she was going to have to kill him tomorrow?

Clove rolls her eyes at the scene. "Whatever, I can't stand her. Cato can have her."

Katniss gives her an odd look. Clove sees it and smirks cryptically, coming closer to Katniss as if about to share a secret. "You misunderstood me. Cato might be my friend, but I wouldn't wish him on _anyone._"

Katniss pretends she understands this but she figures all the careers are just batty anyway. "I see," she says flatly.

Clove shakes her head, laughing, "No, you don't, but that's okay, you wouldn't understand anyway."

The girl before Katniss twirls a knife in her hand casually, her eyes still locked on the muscular boy. "You know, you're enemy number one in his mind. Take it as a compliment," Clove said mockingly.

Katniss feels shock race through her, because why would the scariest Tribute aside from Thresh find her to be a threat? If she didn't have a bow, she was basically limited to hiding and hunting. Even if she did take it as a compliment, which she wasn't, it didn't change anything. She still had to find a way to survive out there against these careers.

Clove leans in closer and Katniss can smell her jasmine perfume. The girl may be younger than Katniss, but she still has an unusually intimidating personality. Clove grins at her with a touch of superiority, and says, "When he comes for you there's going to be nothing left for your cute little sister to bury."

Katniss stares Clove down, straight in her dark hazel eyes and says bluntly, "If he comes near me I'm going to break his pretty boy face."

Clove's mouth hangs open in an undignified manner and Katniss tells her to stop catching bees with it before storming off. "The nerve of that girl," Katniss mutters to herself angrily.

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><p>He is working with his sword, going through the motions. He cuts one mannequin and then turns quickly to go at the one he knows is behind him when he nearly chops off Glimmer's head. Cato stops an inch from her throat. "What are you doing, standing in front of a mannequin like that," he says with agitation.<p>

She smiles at him, and he knows what she's doing because he's had plenty of experience with it. "I came over here to talk to you," Glimmer says coolly, as if she is in control of the situation.

Cato chops off the head of the mannequin, briefly wishing it was Katniss Everdeen standing before him. "So talk," he says.

The girl looks put out. Too bad. "I came over here to form an alliance with you, on behalf of Marvel. He's indisposed right now," Glimmer says, frowning slightly.

Cato smirks. "Late night partying?"

"Something like that. So, what do you say?"

She leans forward and runs her hand down his chest, stopping at his belt line, her hand hovering over him lightly. Cato leans back and gives her his best smile, "I'll talk to Clove about it."

He watches with amusement as her bright eyes darken; surprise, surprise- a girl who is threatened by his counterpart. "Take it or leave it," he states, "wherever I go, Clove goes."

Glimmer tries to keep a scowl off her face but fails. "Fine," she all but spits out heatedly.

Cato ignores her and let's his eyes drift over her head to see what Clove is up to. Surprisingly, she's with none other than the Girl on Fire, having some sort of female chit chat. Cato scowls because he desperately wishes he could listen in on that conversation.

Suddenly, Katniss storms off in a huff, her fists clenched tightly and Clove stands there with her face in an expression Cato hasn't seen before; disbelief. He excuses himself from Glimmer, extracting his body from her grasp and goes over to Clove, smirking. "What's wrong, did you finally lose a verbal battle for once?"

She scowls at him. "Shut it, hot stuff. Let's just say I've finally found someone who can cut you down to size."

Cato laughs. "I'd like to see her try."

Clove raises an eyebrow, "Yeah…you would, wouldn't you?"

Cato ignores her comment. "Ready for tomorrow? We have an alliance going with District 1 so far."

"Yes, of course I'm ready, I've always been ready. I see how you're trying to change the subject; it won't work. How were you're dreams last night?" Clove says slyly.

Cato chokes on his own saliva.

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><p>Katniss dried the water off of her face, breathing heavily. She looked at her face in the mirror and figured she had gotten all the tears off. Her eyes were slightly red, but that couldn't be helped. The moment Clove had mentioned her sister Katniss had flipped. She had made a beeline for the bathroom, covered her face and screamed.<p>

She hid in there for awhile, waiting to calm down before walking back out to find Peeta and take him to lunch with her and Haymitch. Katniss rounded the corner fast, not paying attention to the space in front of her. The air was knocked out of her as she slammed into someone walking out of the training center. Katniss almost bounced right off and fell on her rear, but two large arms wrapped around her and kept her from falling.

The smell of sweat and expensive cologne invaded her nose.

"Women, Cato. I just don't understand this phenomenon of women falling into your arms," says a familiar dry voice and Katniss groans mentally.

_I suppose it would be too much to hope that I didn't just run into Cato, _thinks Katniss. She leans her head back and sure enough, she finds herself looking up at Cato, who's looking at her likes she's the last thing he wants to be touching. _The feeling is mutual, jerk, _Katniss muses to herself.

She raises her arms up and pushes out of his arms. The disgusted look on Cato's face disappears and is replaced by his cold, arrogant mask once more. Clove is beside him, giving Katniss that freaky smile again. Katniss feels self-conscious, because she's pretty sure that she has Cato's sweat drying on her skin now and that is just too personal for her tastes.

Clove cocks her head to the side and says, "Tell me, Girl on Fire, do you ever dream?"

Cato turns an interesting shade of red and grabs Clove's arm roughly. "We're going, _now_."

"Katniss, is everything alright here?"

They all turn around to see Peeta cracking his knuckles subconsciously. Katniss knows he's not doing it to be threatening, it's just a habit of his, but Cato doesn't seem to see it that way, because he instantly puffs up like he's getting ready for a round in the ring. Clove gives Katniss a look, as if they are both witnessing a moment of male stupidity as Cato and Peeta stare each other down for a few awkward moments.

Katniss looks at Peeta, who is still cracking his knuckles, but now perhaps with a different intent. His blue eyes are dark and Cato's jaw is clenched, his eyes fiery, more green than blue at the moment. "Peeta," Katniss says carefully, "I'm fine, let's get lunch, okay?"

The spell is broken. Both guys break eye contact and then tension in the hall is broken. Katniss and Clove both let out the air they had been holding in their lungs, Katniss because she worried about Peeta getting hurt and Clove because she knew Cato would do something stupid and get himself thrown out of the games. That wouldn't bode well for her.

Katniss nods at Clove, still fuming about the Prim comment from earlier, and puts a gentle hand on Peeta's bicep, pulling him away. What she doesn't see is the hard glare Peeta throws in Cato's direction. Cato sneers and throws a rude hand gesture at Peeta. One of the trainers sees and shouts out, "Inappropriate!"

Cato glares after the pair, trying not to think about how he had the Girl on Fire in his arms only moments ago. "In a few hours, I'm going to wring that bitch's neck," he growls to Clove.

She shrugs. "Not if she wrings yours first."

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><p>Katniss excuses herself from lunch to go wash up quick. She heads into the showers and tears her clothes off, glad that Cato's scent is about to get washed off. She's never smelled a man's cologne before; no one had that in District 12, not even the merchants, not really. It had smelled…really good.<p>

She let the hot water run over her body and she mentally cringed when she figured she must have smelled awful in comparison to him. How was that fair, that he smelled good even when sweating? Rich men, the hell with them!

The closest Katniss had been to a man since her father's death was Gale. His gentle hugs were the closest she came to having a relationship with a boy. She didn't really count that as anything because he was her friend, her attractive friend, but even so there had never been anything sexual in their relationship up to this point. _That's not to say he hasn't been kissing other girls in town_, Katniss thought bitterly, biting her lip as she washed her hair.

Cato had been warm and solid. Powerful.

She tries not to dwell on this when it gets dark and she can't sleep. She's already talked to Peeta and Haymitch, none of who can sleep from nerves. She leaves the floor to go for a long walk to try and calm her mind. She's walking down to the first floor when she passes Cato, who also apparently can't sleep.

He grins at her, his wide charming smile tinted with malice. "See you tomorrow, Girl on Fire. Better watch out for Lover Boy."

Katniss glares at him because she's had enough of this taunting crap from the careers. She starts towards him angrily, "Listen to me, you vulgar, loud mouthed prick. You come near me or Peeta and I will beat the living daylights out of you. Mark my words."

Cato simply breaks out laughing, loud and deep in his throat. He stalks towards Katniss until she is backed up against a wall. He puts his hands on either side of her head and says softly, almost teasingly, "Go ahead, try to push me away."

She uses all her force to push his body away from her own, but he doesn't budge, not an inch. Frowning in dismay, she tries again, grunting with effort and she feels his firm chest vibrate as he laughs again at her futile efforts. "See," he says next to her ear, "you can't beat me. There's nothing you can do once I find you in that arena, and believe me, I will find you."

He walks away and the chill of the dark hallway rushes in to greet Katniss. She's breathing heavily, from anger and outrage, and as much as she hates to admit it; fear. He was so incredibly strong, there was no way she was going to be able to handle him in close combat. She would have to avoid him and his good smelling cologne for as long as possible out there until she found a bow.

Katniss wrinkles her nose and pulls the front of her shirt up to sniff and groans in dismay, "Not again!"

Damn that freaking cologne.

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><p>:::<p>

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><p>That night Haymitch drinks too much, ready to hit oblivion in case his favorite students die.<p>

Effie sleeps soundly in her bed, surrounded by plush stuffed animals of all colors.

Glimmer wakes up early to do her hair and nails, because she's going to look good if she dies.

Peeta stares at the ceiling in his room, counting all the cracks.

Rue thinks of home until she falls asleep.

Clove picks under her nails at nonexistent dirt with her knives, and winces when she cuts herself.

Katniss paces her room until exhaustion hits.

Cato dreams.

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><p>:::<p>

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> Alright...on to the arena. For serious this time. These tricks are getting tossed in.

Sidenote: I know, I know a lot of you hate Clove, but I think she is an important part of Cato's life. No...not as a love interest, so don't worry about this being Cato/Clove. While on that subject, there may be _moments_ of light! Peeta/Katniss but I'm pretty sure none of us hate them anyway so that shouldn't be too awful on anyone. I like to build relationships between the characters, background etc, so we gotta have some other characters around, hence Clove and Peeta. Plus, Cato has to have some competition for Katniss...even if his competition is dead o.O

Oh and Glimmer...I'm not a fan, don't worry.

And thanks Cindella204 for letting me know I goofed up on Gale's name...oops!

Anywho...keep the reviews coming and I will keep updating- you all rock :)


	4. Stained

**AN: **My beloved peeps, I would love to respond to each and every review because each one makes me so incredibly happy...but I'll just answer some of the great questions people have been asking to save time, because I know you all want to read instead hah!

1. _What is Cato dreaming about?_ Ah. Wouldn't we all love to know? We will see more of this later ha.  
>2. <em>Did you know you spelled Gale wrong?<em> Not until you told me, but I fixed it, thank you for letting me know! I know there will be some grammatical errors from time to time, because beta stuff takes too long and I only do it for competitions when it is absolutely a must. I will try better to behave on the grammar side of this story. Oh, and Katniss's or Katniss'? I looked this up...apparently both forms are alright to use. I just happen to prefer Katniss's because I like seeing the extra 's' at the end.  
>3. <em>Will there be CatoClove or Peeta/Katniss?_ No on the Cato/Clove. Friends. BFF's with razors. Peeta/Katniss, yes probably, but nothing serious, just like in the book.  
>4. <em>Will it get more graphic? <em>YES. Very. Wait till I get my mojo rolling.

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><p>:::007. Stained:::<p>

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><p><em>"So what if you can see the darkest side of me?<em>  
><em>No one will ever change this animal I have become<em>  
><em>Help me believe it's not the real me<em>  
><em>Somebody help me tame this animal"<em>

"Animal I Have Become" – Three Days Grace

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><p>:::<p>

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><p>Time. It's been ticking since the moment he was born. It's been ticking all the way up until this one moment, and he's been waiting for what feels like forever. The time is now, and the wait is over. Cato is finally in the arena that he volunteered to throw himself into. The wind is blowing, slightly chilly against his face, and it ruffles his blonde hair, the hair that he didn't really bother to let anyone work on this morning.<p>

Cato's blue green eyes scan the open field, looking at his competition, and he tries to calculate the distance to the cornucopia center with all of the supplies that he knows he will need. Cato knows that some of the smaller tributes will be able to move faster than him because of his greater size, but he knows he is big enough and fast enough to be a threat to everyone in the arena.

His gaze drifts over to the far side of the arena as he spots the Girl on Fire. _Yes, _he thinks grimly, _I'm a threat to even you, despite your score of eleven._

It's as if she feels his eyes on her, because Katniss turns her head slightly and gives him a blank look, as usual. What he would give just to see that girl smile, jeez. She's beautiful with the sun lighting on her slight frame, and Cato can't help but think on how her indifference to his natural good looks really pisses him off. Her eyes are cold and she looks away from him and Cato takes it personally. He watches as her grey eyes drift to the supplies, and how they drift to the bow. Her whole body stiffens even further with tension; he can see it even from a distance. She _wants _that bow. He's not inclined to let her have it, because he would bet money on the fact that she used a bow to get that eleven.

That fucking eleven.

Cato looks some distance down the line of tributes and sees Clove and he can tell that she is shaking with anticipation. She grins at him and her eyes drift to the tributes from District 1 and 4. The understanding between them all has been made. The time for backstabbing comes later.

It's civilized, really.

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><p>:::<p>

* * *

><p>If it's cold, Katniss doesn't feel it. No matter how hard she tries, she can't get that bow out of her mind, because she knows her life rests in the balance and everything depends on getting that one weapon. She shudders, thinking of her sister watching her on screen, and hopes she doesn't let her down. Katniss hopes she doesn't die, especially not in the first few seconds of the game. It would be utterly humiliating and she's sure Haymitch would drink himself into another dimension out of shame.<p>

She sees Peeta, his face pale and drawn and knows he's been watching her. He shakes his head at her, but it's hard to see because the sun is rising in the distance and for a moment Katniss is blinded by the red glow as it spills over all of them. It's a wonderful view, and she hopes this isn't the last sunrise she sees.

The clock is counting down; it's now or never, life or death. In the distance she feels eyes on her and she glances across the field and faintly sees the District 2 tribute, packing all his muscle. The sun is directly behind Cato and it hurts to look at him as the sun makes his hair shine gold, making him look like some kind of knight from a fairy tale. Katniss looks away as the final seconds are ticking down.

Three. Two. One.

She doesn't think. Katniss _breathes_.

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><p>:::<p>

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><p>Everything is red. Everything.<p>

It's a blur of blood and screams and Cato doesn't care because he's going straight for the swords and no one is going to get in his way. He faintly sees a girl run across his path and without thinking he grabs her and slams her head down on a metal crate containing supplies repeatedly. There is a loud crack as her skull breaks in his hands. Blood splashes up onto his face and Cato doesn't have the time to wipe it away before he is moving on through the carnage. A cannon goes off as the girl stops breathing, her skull smashed in from brute force.

He dodges the swing of a lethal looking scythe as he accidently comes too close to Thresh, hearing the whoosh of the blade as it goes straight over his head. Thresh gives him a glare before taking off with supplies. Cato sneers after him, continuing on his path for a weapon, one that isn't his body. He sees Clove, who has found her knives and she is chasing after the Girl on Fire.

Cato feels his heart stop, because he knows Clove doesn't miss and he wants the Girl on Fire to be his kill. He almost opens his mouth to call out and tell her to _stop _but it's too late because he's watching silver fly through the air. Time stops in Cato's world as he watches the target acknowledge the danger. Twelve turns and runs at that moment, her hair glittering in the light. Her backpack takes the hit for her. Within moments she disappears in the blink of an eye into the woods.

Without thinking, Cato makes as if to go after her when a fist lands in his gut. The air rushes out of his body, but he steels himself against it. Snarling, he turns and finds Lover Boy picking up a knife, his bright blue eyes fierce. _So, _Cato thinks, _he didn't run off with his girlfriend. Shame._

Peeta swings at him, and Cato briefly figures that this guy must have a death wish. He ducks under the knife and catches Peeta's wrist, squeezing until he let's go of the knife. Lover Boy snarls and punches Cato in the sternum. Cato's eyes widen in shock because Lover Boy packs a freaking punch and Cato might not have the advantage in a bare fist battle. Cato flings himself over a crate and grasps the closest weapon, an axe, frowning because it's not his weapon of choice, but desperate measures come as they please. Then pain is exploding in the back of his head, and he's yelling as his face gets stuffed in the dirt, "What the _fuck_!"

Apparently, Lover Boy caught up and introduced his boot to the back of Cato's skull. Hissing, Cato grabs Lover Boy's leg and yanks him down, forgetting the damn axe because it's useless now. Some of the tributes quickly skirt away in relief, knowing the killing machine is occupied for the moment as he grapples with the bread boy on the floor.

Cato grunts in effort, because this guy is way stronger than he thought he would be. Cato lands a punch, but just as he does Lover Boy catches him in the jaw, snapping his head back. They roll, Peeta straddling Cato's chest. His eyes are blue like gas flames and he let's loose a nasty right hook into Cato's face, splitting his lip. Snarling, Cato pulls the other boy down and slams his forehead into Peeta's nose dead on. Cato uses all his strength to toss his opponent off so he can freaking think because his head is spinning. Groaning, Cato rolls onto his side, trying to stand up. He looks up, shaking his head to try and get the blood out of his eyes, and he truly doesn't know whose blood it is. His heart stops as he sees Lover Boy coming over to him again, knife in hand once more.

"Shit," Cato whispers.

Then Lover Boy stops moving, because someone else has grabbed him and has a knife hovering over his jugular. Cato's eyes widen in relief as he sees Clove, and says harshly, "What are you waiting for? Kill him, Clove!"

Peeta is breathing heavily and prays his death is quick, but he's not so sure about it because the chick from District 2 isn't known for being kind. Her breath is on the back of his neck, on his ear as she moves closer to him, her entire form pressed against his back. The point of her knife is digging into his skin hard enough to draw blood.

"Lover Boy," she laughs against his ear, "don't say your last rites just yet. I might have use for you."

The hulk from District 2, Cato, is frowning at this. "Clove," he growls, "finish it, stop playing around."

"Shut it, Cato. After all, don't you want to find his girlfriend?"

Peeta watches in horror as understanding blossoms in the green eyes of the boy in front of him. The guy is now on his feet and he's walking towards Peeta quickly, blood dripping from his cut lip. Peeta grunts as a solid punch lands in his stomach, making him feel sick enough to vomit.

He does.

Clove wrinkles her nose. "Charming. Cato, make yourself useful and get a weapon. Lover Boy, sit down and don't move. You'll live to see your pretty princess again."

Peeta sits, wiping his mouth, wrinkling his nose at the taste of acid in his mouth. This situation isn't good. Here he had planned on stalling Cato long enough so that Katniss could get away, and now he's going to be used as a weapon against her.

He bites his lip and blinks his eyes because he doesn't want to cry, and Clove is patting him on the back roughly. "Don't worry, Lover Boy, I'll take good care you, and then _he'll _take good care of _her_. I promise"

Peeta shakes her hand off. "Don't touch me," he snaps, furious at himself, at Clove, and at Katniss for making him feel this way.

She moves away and gives him space. Peeta looks at the destruction around him, the bodies strewn all over the cornucopia. He nearly jumps out of his skin when he hears a scream as Cato moves towards a young boy hiding by the cornucopia. It appears that Cato has found a knife and the boy has nowhere left to run. The kid stands up and tries to make a run for it, but Cato just grabs him and throws him against the cornucopia.

Peeta watches distantly as the kid wets himself, his pants growing dark around the crotch region. Cato laughs, the light sound of it carrying over to Peeta, sickening him. "Cowards don't deserve to live," Cato says nastily before he shoves the knife right into the kid's gut. Peeta's mouth drops open as Cato moves the knife upward, opening the boy up like he is a sack of flour.

Peeta closes his eyes as the innards all fall out before the kid even hits the floor. Cato moves towards the weapon rack and his eyes go all wide as he looks at the arrangement of swords, selecting the one he likes best. He comes back to Peeta and crouches next to him, his hands completely stained with blood. The prince of District 2 looks like a monster straight out of a nightmare.

"You aren't going to cause any trouble, right Lover Boy?"

Peeta shakes his head, because for one cowardly moment he doesn't want to die like that curly haired boy by the cornucopia. Cato is grinning at him, a bruise forming at his jaw, and he ruffles Peeta's hair with his bloodied hand, acting as if he hadn't just gutted a child alive a few moments ago. "That's great man. Welcome to the team."

Peeta doesn't have the emotional energy to even scowl at the bigger boy. He doesn't even want to dwell on Clove's words on how Cato is after Katniss. Peeta watches quietly as a few more join the group of the living still remaining in the cornucopia. He recognizes them as the tributes from District 1 and 4. Peeta sighs, thinking, _Katniss, I hope you're hiding, because you've got a pack of wolves behind you._

_And I'm leading them right to you._

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><p><em>:::<em>

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><p>Katniss ran until she found a tree that she deemed large enough to sleep in for the night. She figures that there are very few tributes that can follow her up the tree, especially as far up as she plans on going. And if they do try chasing her up the tree, well…hopefully they crash to their death.<p>

She looks through her backpack and finds a canteen, but it is regretfully empty of water. "Go figure, the Capitol is always finding new ways to screw me over," she hisses under her breath in exasperation.

Night is coming, and she has been running nearly the entire day. She wonders if Peeta survived, she wonders about the young girl, Rue, the girl who reminds her of Prim so much. She hopes neither of them has died yet.

She watches the faces as they appear in the sky, showing the deaths of the day. She feels relief when she sees that no one she knows has eaten it yet. Unfortunately, that also means that the majority of the careers are still on the move, and probably looking for her because of her score of eleven.

But perhaps not, the careers generally hunted in packs to kill the weakest first, so perhaps they would go after the remaining tributes with weaker odds. _Just don't let them go after Peeta, _Katniss thinks as she drifts into sleep.

When Katniss wakes, it is still dark and she knows something is _wrong_. She stops moving in her sleeping bag and listens to the forest, trying to figure out what has woke her up. She strains her ears, but then she hears it; the crackling of a fire. _You've got to be kidding me, _she mouths silently, venomously.

There, not too many feet away from where she is sleeping, is a campfire. Out of all the places to go, why did the one idiot in the woods have to come near her? Katniss twitches when she hears loud footsteps somewhere below her and loud whispers.

_Careers. Hunting in packs as always._

Then the screaming starts. "Please, please don't do this!"

More screaming ensues and Katniss wants to shut her ears, but she knows that's not going to wipe the desperate pleas from her brain. Many moments pass, yet the cannon doesn't sound. _Slow deaths, _Katniss thinks sadly, _are always the worst, and the Capitol loves them._

After what feels like half an hour, the cannon finally sounds and Katniss let's out the breath she has been holding. Then the laughter starts and Katniss hisses quietly, "Sick. Just freaking sick."

She moves around in the tree to try and see the camp through some of the thinner trees. Moving around the tree branches, confident that the old tree is still camouflaging her, Katniss sees the fire of the camp clearly. It's surrounded by a group, the careers, and they have clearly taken over the camp for their own. Two of them are carrying a body away from the camp so that it can be picked up and the others are bunking down. Then Katniss sees it.

"_What?" _she says, almost too loudly.

She sees Cato, with his arm over none other than Peeta's shoulders. He's whispering something in Peeta's ear and Peeta is shrugging in response. Cato laughs out loud and gives Peeta a 'playful' punch in the arm that almost sends him into some bushes.

Fuming, Katniss stares up at the stars, not wishing to see anymore.

Betrayal hurts almost as much as a knife wound. Almost.

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><p>:::<p>

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><p>Katniss finally sleeps. It's moments in heaven and away from this nightmare as she dreams that she is home with her father, and he's singing to her in the forest outside District 12. She dreams of Gale, and of Prim, and she hopes that he is taking good care of her family. She dreams of Peeta and how he saved her life when she was at her worst, ready to die of starvation.<p>

The dream changes and everything goes dark. She struggles, and realizes that someone has put their hands over her eyes. A familiar, cinnamon-like scent invades her senses as a body presses against her back and lips touch her ear, saying in a hoarse voice, "Are you ready?"

Then she is jerked out of sleep again, because this time someone is yelling for real.

Someone is yelling at her.

"Ready or not, sleeping beauty, here I come!"

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><p>:::<p>

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>So there we have it, the start of the arena. There will be a point when this story becomes really AU and drifts away from the original storyline (aka, who dies by who's hand, who lives, after the games etc.)

I'm so happy with the reviews I'm getting, they really motivate me! Let me know what you think as always and I will crank out an update for you :)**  
><strong>


	5. Hold

**AN: **Hey everyone, awesome responses again! Sorry it sort of took me awhile to update today, my internet just got blown out of the water and we are still trying to fix it, so hopefully I can get this up before it blacks out again!  
>I'm glad you guys liked the last chapter, and I agree, not much Cato and Katniss interaction, sad. If I could make it believable I would have Cato have his way with her right now...but I can't ha.<br>Oh and some people liked the lyrics, some people didn't. I actually didn't realize it would bother people, but it is actually more for me because I listen to music while I write, it is my muse. Some people like to know what I'm listening to when I write a scene, because generally there is always something in a song I relate a chapter to. Always. So yeah, don't get offended by random lyrics, it is just what inspires me to write and helps me see what I'm doing-aka sets the mood :P

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Hunger Games or the characters. Those belong to Suzanne Collins.

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><p>:::032. Hold:::<p>

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><p><em>...Then she is jerked out of sleep again, because this time someone is yelling for real.<em>

_Someone is yelling at her._

_"Ready or not, sleeping beauty, here I come!"..._

Katniss shakes the sleep from her eyes, feeling the cold on her face in the early morning chill. Her throat aches from the cold night air she has been breathing all night and she coughs, trying to find her voice. She leans over the edge of the branch she was sleeping on and gasps, her hands going to the knot that holds her tied to the branch so that she doesn't roll out of the tree.

How could she not have noticed this development? Her hands begin to shake and it's difficult to undo the knot, her hands freezing. If she doesn't get the tie undone now, she's going to die.

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><p>:::<p>

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><p><em>Hours earlier…<em>

Marvel and Glimmer tossed the body of the young girl so that the Capitol could come pick up the body. They all don't want it stinking up the entire camp. Open stomach wounds tended to smell foul pretty quick, after all.

The group kept the fire going, needing the warmth. Clove sat on one side of Cato, Glimmer sat on his other side. Peeta rolls his eyes at this because he just didn't get why women catered to this murdering monster. After all, what if he murders them all in their sleep?

Peeta couldn't understand why the careers moved in groups anyway, not when they all had to kill each other eventually. How easy it would be to kill them all while they slept. All it would take is one person to squeal out of the alliance and they would all be dead by dawn. Of course, whoever it was would have to move fast because if just one person screamed, the rest would wake up and the killer would probably be hunted down and killed. Sounds like a wonderful alliance.

What a stupid idea.

Peeta sat on the outside of the group, sulking. He was close enough to the fire to be warm, but the heat was bothering the cuts on his face. He was on edge, terrified that one of them was going to magically decide he wasn't worth keeping around, no matter how badly these people were threatened by Katniss. Peeta sighed and zoned back in on the conversation in the circle.

"I was handling myself just fine," Cato grumbles.

"Really? What angle were you watching the fight from, because from where I stood it looked like you were getting your rear handed to you," Clove says, digging under her nails with her knife.

Marvel snorts, fighting to keep his laughter in. Cato whips a backpack in his general direction, snarling, "Shut up, or I'll snap you in half, skinny boy."

Marvel ducks under the flying backpack. "If you can catch me, big guy, be my guest."

"Don't tempt me," Cato says under his breath.

They are all silent for a moment, listening to the crackling of the fire in front of them. Glimmer has an uncomfortable look on her face, and she keeps licking her lips. Peeta can see that her lips are cracked and dry from the lack of water. A high maintenance queen like her is probably not loving the wilderness much.

Peeta watches as the blonde girl looks at Clove nervously around Cato's form. "My lips are completely fried. Does anyone have a chap stick I could borrow?"

Clove stops picking at her nails and turns her head slowly to stare at the other girl in disbelief. "Yes, as a matter of fact I do- in my ass where I keep all the other chap sticks. Still want it?"

Glimmer bristles at the other girl's tone. She leans closer to Cato and whispers, "She's so incredibly rude. I can't stand it."

He turns his head slightly and looks at her, smirking. "Yeah, and what are you going to do about it?"

Glimmer frowns and Clove leans over Cato's body to get closer to the blonde girl. "Anytime you want go, just let me know, I'll play nice, I swear."

"Leave her alone," Marvel says sternly.

Clove scoffs, "Give me a break, I'm only joking around."

Cato stares into the fire, because he knows Clove doesn't joke around ever, she's as serious as they come. The fire of course reminds him of a completely different girl and his light eyes are instantly drawn to the sullen Lover Boy. Cato stands up and shakes the girls off of him so that he can go sit by the lone bread boy.

Clove and Glimmer both mentally bemoan the loss of their main source of warmth, because a fire can't compare to the constant warmth of a boy. Clove scoots closer to the fire as result, flashing Glimmer a look that dares her to come near.

Peeta cringes when Cato approaches him. "Walk with me," Cato says firmly.

Peeta looks at the group surrounding the campfire, because as much as he hates to admit it he doesn't want to leave the moderate warmth the fire is providing. "Why?"

Cato is aware of Clove watching him carefully, so he says, "To check the perimeter, we have to make sure we have no one scoping us out."

Clove bites her lip, because she recognizes Cato's facial expression, he does it whenever he's lying. She knows that whatever he is hiding could either be potentially life threatening to the group, but she also knows he wouldn't knock her off this early in the game; she knows he still needs her. So, this just leaves the other possibility; he wants to talk about the fire princess.

_Bleh. Gag me with a spoon please._

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><p>:::<p>

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><p>Peeta follows Cato into the woods carefully, trying not to make too much noise. He couldn't be sure what sort of wildlife the Capitol put into the arena, and he didn't want to attract any predators, aside from the one he was taking a two AM stroll with. Cato didn't seem to have such reservations about being quiet and Peeta winced every time the larger boy's feet clomped down on some fallen branch.<p>

Peeta was pretty sure that bears moved more quietly than Cato. If Katniss had any luck she would hear this guy coming from a mile away. Suddenly, Cato stopped walking and Peeta slammed into his back. "Why are we stopping," he asked, stepping away quickly.

Cato glanced at him over his shoulder and then shrugged, walking over to a large fallen log. He sat down on it and crossed his arms over his broad chest, staring Peeta down. "We are far enough that they won't hear us."

Peeta steps backward, panicking. "Won't hear _what_?"

The moonlight bounces off Cato's blonde hair, making it look white. The young man rolled his eyes in exasperation. "They won't hear what we are talking about. Jeez, I'm not going to kill you yet."

Peeta glared, "Yeah, that's nice to know, thanks."

"Oh just shut up and sit down, Lover Boy," Cato snapped back.

Peeta sat down across from Cato reluctantly, wondering what they were going to be talking about that Cato didn't want the others to hear, especially since that Clove chick seemed to be attached at the brain with Cato. For a few moments there was silence, utter silence, and Peeta felt completely awkward.

Cato took in a deep breath, trying to figure out how to best word it without sounding like an idiot. Not that Lover Boy's opinion mattered to him, but still. Oh, the hell with it. "Tell me about your girlfriend, Lover Boy."

Peeta's eyes almost bugged out of his head in shock, "Wh-what?"

Cato leaned forward. "Did I stutter, kid? I want you to tell me about your freaking girlfriend."

Peeta looked skyward because this was not the conversation he wanted to be having with this particular person, especially knowing that the whole world was watching them. "What is it you want to know about Katniss?"

Cato seems surprised that Peeta is willing to talk, as if he expected Peeta to put up a fight. Peeta wouldn't be surprised if Cato had been itching for a fight; the guy seemed to thrive on violent energy. "I don't know, what are her habits, her strengths? Where would she hide first?"

Peeta shrugs his shoulders, "I don't know really…"

"_Answer the fucking question before I snap your neck_."

"I trained separately from her for the most part; I don't know everything about her!" Peeta says angrily.

As Peeta calms, he continues to speak. "She's good at hunting, so you can bet she isn't going to starve if that's what you are betting on happening."

There is silence as Cato thinks. "I wasn't. I'm betting on getting my fingers around her neck."

"I see. Well you are going to have to catch her first, she's a survivor. She knows how to live in the woods like the back of her hand," Peeta says softly, feeling guilty.

"Where would she hide, Lover Boy?"

Peeta doesn't answer, but he can't help the way his eyes drift to the trees, and sighs in defeat as Cato grins maliciously, catching Peeta's gaze. "The trees, eh, Lover Boy? She must be pretty flexible if she's able to hop around up there all day."

Peeta is pissed so he says his next words partially for the sponsors benefit and partially to see Cato's reaction. "Oh yeah, she's _real_ flexible. Makes for a good night, if you know what I mean, Cato."

An odd look passes over Cato's face and Peeta can't quite place it, but it slightly looks like jealousy from where he is sitting. That can't be possible, of course.

"No he doesn't have a clue, but I think Cato would love to know, Lover Boy, how about you lay out the dirty details for him," says a disgusted voice.

Both boys snap their heads to the left and Cato twitches when he realizes it is Clove who has snuck up on them. "Clove," he starts to say, but she cuts him off waspishly.

"Lover Boy, go back to camp, they won't eat you, I promise. I'll be watching, so don't even think of running or I'll put a knife in your back," Clove says to Peeta.

Peeta sighs and heads back to camp, more than glad to get away from the scary pair. As soon as she is satisfied that Peeta is out of earshot, Clove whirls on Cato angrily. "Who are you trying to kid, Cato? It didn't sound like you were trying to figure out how to kill the girl; it sounded like you were trying to figure out how to _date_ her!"

Cato rears back, looking like he's been slapped. "What are you fucking talking about, Clove? Get off my nuts; _I know what I'm doing_!"

"Oh ha ha, tell me another. How about you just find the stupid girl and get it out of your system, then kill her?"

Cato punches the tree beside Clove's head. She doesn't even flinch. "I was asking Lover Boy how to find her so we can kill her. You came in on the wrong conversation."

Clove leans back, tilting her head so she can look up at him. "Ah, so first we talk about how to find her so we can kill her, then we talk about what it's like to have her in bed. Sometimes your mind scares me, hot stuff."

Cato sneers, "Whatever. Just go back to bed; it is way past your nap time."

Clove scowls at his reference to her being a little kid and stalks back to camp, fuming. Cato glowers after her, but doesn't follow. He looks up at the trees and smiles; he has other things on his agenda this morning.

Cato walks around in the dark, looking up at the trees. It is early morning, about four AM and the sun is barely starting to come out. So far he hasn't caught sight of the Girl on Fire, Katniss, but he's not the kind of guy that gives up right away. After all, hunting can take hours; you just have to wait for your prey to make a mistake.

He must be nearly half a mile away from camp, but he is sure none of them are awake yet. He continues on, looking through the trees, trying to spot one that has branches large enough to hold a person for a long period of time comfortably. Cato's trying not to dwell on the comment Lover Boy made, because for some reason it just miffs him. Cato scowls to himself because it's not supposed to be this way, he doesn't get worked up over girls and this one shouldn't be bothering him so much. It's all because she showed him up and now he wants to make her pay. Fact.

The sun has begun to rise even more, letting white light spill over the canopy of the trees above, and then he sees it; he sees her. She's up in a very old tree, and Cato grins because she is still passed out from the looks of it, her head back against the trunk.

He moves to the base of the tree and looks up and suddenly doesn't feel so sure about this climbing thing, but he's not about to look like a coward in front of everyone, especially not his father, who is surely watching right now. Taking a deep breath, Cato starts his climb, and for his first attempt he slides right back down the tree. Apparently climbing with a weapon isn't an easy thing to do.

He tosses it on the ground, because if he can't handle one measly girl with his bare hands then he really doesn't deserve to win this thing. The climbing goes easier this time, and he is almost half way to her when he calls out "Ready or not, sleeping beauty, here I come!"

He hoists himself up another branch with some effort, and then watches as she twitches awake, rubbing her eyes rapidly. He grins, because she still has no clue what is coming for her. He moves up another branch, and now he is only four branches below her. He's got this in the bag already.

Katniss leans over and looks down at him, her eyes widening in shock. She utters a curse and starts struggling with something. Cato moves up another branch and then he sees that she has tied herself to the branch. Great, the girl strapped herself in just for him. _Way to make it easy_, he thinks.

The rope comes loose and Katniss is starting to twist around as if to climb higher, but Cato has her ankle and Katniss yelps loudly as she's suddenly in open air. She belly flops onto a lower branch and groans in pain. She tries to get up, but her stomach kills from that fall, so she awkwardly swings both of her legs onto the large branch. Her opponent has already started to descend after her, and Cato is gaining fast.

"Having a good morning," he calls to her mockingly.

Katniss spits in his general direction. "I've had better," she responds mutinously.

She curses because all of her supplies are still up on her branch, but there is no way she is getting them now, not until she loses Cato. Or kills him. Either one works for her. She goes to move down to another branch, just as Cato descends to the branch she is currently on. They are about seven feet above ground now and Katniss is debating if the jump is really worth it, because there is a chance she could break something despite the soft forest floor.

Cato doesn't give her time to think because he's already pushing her right off the branch. The scream gets stuck in her throat and then all the air flies out of her lungs again as she lands in a pile of plant life beneath the tree. Katniss lies there for a few moments because there is no force in the world that could make her move, not with the pain she's feeling now.

There is a thud as Cato lands somewhere, and he is brushing his hands off on his pants. "Well, at least I have you on the ground now, you little tree monkey."

Katniss groans again, sitting up with effort. She barely has time to breathe before Cato is slamming her against the tree trunk, his breath bathing her face lightly. She glares up at him, straight into his completely green eyes, noticing that they change from blue to green at any given moment. "Congrats, you caught me," she says dryly.

Cato's crouching in front of her; practically in her lap he is so close. The bark of the tree is digging into her back, but at least she is seated on the ground because she isn't sure her legs could hold her after that fall. "That's right," Cato breaths, "and now I'm going to kill you."

Katniss let's her eyes drift to the right briefly, as if looking at something, and then they move back to his face. "No, you aren't."

Cato turns red with anger, and the hands holding her back against the tree tighten painfully and Katniss tries not to wince. "Yeah? And why do you think that?"

Her eyes are a pure grey as she looks at him directly, and he feels like they are the only people in the world at that moment. His breath catches in his throat, and he opens his mouth to speak again, but Katniss replies softly, "Because there are two wild dogs to my right and they are looking right at us."

Cato jerks in panic, because he hasn't planned for this and just as he is about to move away from Katniss, she grabs him and pulls him closer. "What are you doing," he hisses at her, aware of where his body meets hers. He is practically sprawled on top of her, and her small hands are holding his biceps tightly, and it makes him feel powerful.

"Don't move. Don't even look at them. If you run, they will chase," she whispers, "and they will tear both of us apart."

Just when Cato thinks it can't get any worse it starts to rain lightly. He wants to punch something, namely the girl in front of him but he can't because he is more terrified of the wild animals somewhere beside him, because he has never seen a wild predator like that up close, not in his district.

He tries to calm himself, but it's cold and he begins to shake as the rain begins to soak him. Cato focuses on the girl in front of him, and she smells like the forest, earthly and fresh. There is no scent of perfume on her, something he is not used to because everyone back home wears it. It shocks him to know he's smelling her natural scent, aside from the fact that she probably hasn't washed since getting into the arena. None of them have.

Her eyes are on his, and they are so clear and stormy, and he realizes she is determined to live through this just by seeing the look in her eyes. She won't go down without a fight. Her shirt is sticking to her body and as much as he hates to admit it, he looks. Suddenly, he's thinking about what Lover Boy said again. Then, his mind spirals out of control as he wonders what she would sound like if he gripped her shoulders tighter until she bruised and part of him worries that it would turn him on more than it should.

The other half of him doesn't care.

He watches as her eyes drift to the right once more, and then he realizes he's been fooled way too late. She grabs him and shoves his head right into the trunk of the tree, and then everything goes dark.

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><p>:::<p>

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><p>Katniss pushes his heavy body off of her own with some effort. She had been right in assuming that someone from District 2 would freeze up at the possibility of a dangerous wild animal nearby. Of course, she hadn't expected him to molest her with his eyes and that had slightly freaked her out. It was bad enough that the entire Capitol thought she had some wild romance going with Peeta so she didn't need some career looking like he wanted in on the love too.<p>

Besides, she wasn't used to men looking at her like they wanted to eat her.

She stands up and glances back up the tree, because she needs to get up there to her supplies and her one weapon, a knife. Just then, there was a loud, horrified shout. "Cato! _Cato_!"

Katniss stiffens and realizes she needed to get back up that tree fast because there was no way she was outrunning a group of careers. In the distance, she can see Clove barreling through the brush, the group way behind her as she raced towards Cato's unconscious form.

Up, up the tree Katniss went, just a like a squirrel that she used to hunt. Clove reaches the base of the tree just when Katniss makes it about half way up the tree. She crouches beside Cato's body and shakes him roughly, saying his name over and over. The boy from District 1, Marvel, shouts out, "Is he breathing?"

Katniss stuffs her supplies back into her bag and then slings it over her shoulders. She looks down around the tree, trying to figure out the best escape route. Down below, she watches as Cato comes alive, backhanding Clove across the face. There is a loud crack and Clove yelps, her head snapping to the side. She pulls back, holding her cheek.

"What was that for," the girl snarls.

Cato sits up quickly and blinks rapidly, assessing the situation. "I thought you were someone else," he says, and then his eyes drift up to where Katniss is sitting.

He stands up and shouts at her angrily, "Get down here and fight me you cowardly bitch!"

Cato picks up a rock and throws it at her, but it misses terribly and he starts cursing even more. Katniss would have found his temper amusing if it wasn't directed at her.

Peeta arrives to the scene and keeps his eyes averted from Katniss. She frowns at him and simply climbs to a higher branch. Suddenly, there are screams of horror below and Katniss watches in fascination as a large beehive soars down right past her head, crashing to the ground between the careers.

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> So there is chapter five! Let me know what you think! You all rock so freaking much :)

-ps. you might not see me for two days (at worst) because I will be on the road starting tomorrow morning, but I won't be driving so I can read your responses on my phone and write the next chapters on a notebook so I can just post it right away when I get back, no worries!


	6. Dream

**AN: **Thank you to all my lovely reviewers! You make me so happy when you let me know what you like about the story :)  
>Some of you had such good guesses but hey, I think I've been pretty transparent so far because I'm following the storyline at the moment. However, AU is really coming into play this chapter- things are getting derailed now.<p>

Sorry you all had to wait, but the road was long and we made a lot of stops, and then my phone exploded so I was out buying a new one today! Right now I should be studying for Business Finance and Business Law because I have an exam on Monday and Wednesday...but that's what I have all that free time for up at school I guess. Bad me. Gotta get good grades or I'm not graduating early in December and getting my career started (so yeah, the updates may get every once in awhile depending on homework loads)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Hunger Games or any of the characters. Those belong to Suzanne Collins.

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><p>:::026. Dream:::<p>

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><p>Time seems to stand still as the hive hurtles toward the group upon the forest floor. Seconds. Then all hell breaks loose.<p>

"Holy shit, _move_!" Cato yells, nearly knocking over Marvel in his haste to run.

He turns after Clove, who has already begun running through the brush, twitching the whole way as she's stung innumerous times. Cato can barely see, but he only has to listen to her yelps of pain to know where she is going.

Glimmer is wailing in the distance and Marvel and Peeta are nowhere to be seen. Cato winces as he receives a few more stings on the back of his neck and he almost screams with relief as he sees Clove diving into water, completely submerging her body. He gratefully follows her in, taking a deep breath as the cold water greets him. He stays under for as long as his lungs can manage, and he waits until his chest feels like it is on fire, then he breaks free of the surface, hungrily taking in air. He sighs in relief, because there are no more bees flying everywhere.

Cato whips his head around, looking for Clove, and he finds her crouched in the water still. "Ready to get out," he croaks.

Clove shakes her head numbly, and raises her arms above the water. Cato cringes at the sight of the large welts and bruises growing on her arms. "Tracker jackers," Clove says flatly, "screw me sideways, this sucks, Cato."

Cato blinks at these words, because he's never been stung by one before. "What are they?"

Clove doesn't have the energy to glare at him, so she says in exasperation, "Didn't you pay attention in school? They were genetically mutated wasps left in the Districts."

Cato lets the information sink in, but doesn't answer her because Clove should already know that Cato didn't care too much about his history classes. Heck, he skipped school to go to the gym half the time. "What does the venom do," he asks faintly as his vision begins to blur.

Clove rests her head against a rock, sighing at its coolness. "You will see soon enough."

Cato crawls out of the water and lies flat out on the dirt, groaning. He has no idea where the others are, but he can only imagine they are in a similar amount of pain. _"_If it's the last thing I do, I'm going to kill that girl," he growls angrily.

There is no answer, because Clove has already passed out.

Well, shit.

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><p>Katniss looks up in awe at the small girl a few branches above her. "Rue?"<p>

The younger girl nods, but she is eyeing Katniss warily. Katniss makes to move closer, but Rue scrambles up to another branch. Katniss sighs and says, "I'm not going to hurt you, it's alright."

Rue cocks her head to the side, "What were you doing down there with the big guy?"

Katniss blinks, unsure of what the girl is talking about at first. After a few moments of thinking, the memory of her pulling Cato closer comes to mind. Katniss mentally groans, because who knows what _that_ looked like from up in a tree. "I was trying to stop him from snapping my neck. Did you drop the nest with the intent to get both of us?"

Rue shakes her head again. "I was watching the two of you for awhile, I couldn't decide if you were allies or not."

Katniss's mouth hangs open for a moment. "How can you mistake him for an ally of mine? He tossed me out of a tree!"

Rue shrugs, her chocolate eyes turning shy and unsure. "Well, he was all over you, down at the base of the tree, and he didn't kill you instantly like I've seen him do to others. I didn't know what to think. Then you knocked him out and came back into the tree so I waited to see what would happen. Then the others came. I got worried. So I kicked the tracker jacker nest off of its branch."

Katniss laughs, the first time in so long. "You dropped a tracker jacker nest on them? No wonder I could hear them screaming miles off."

As if on cue, a loud wail echoed through the trees, filled with pain. Both girls jumped nervously, but there was no movement in the trees or the brush. Whoever was screaming was very far off. "We should move from this spot in case they come back pissed off," Katniss utters carefully.

Rue nods, still looking at Katniss with some suspicion. Katniss doesn't blame the girl; trust only gets you so far in the Hunger Games. The climb down the tree after Katniss has gathered all of her supplies. Rue is surprisingly quick and agile, and she even beats Katniss to the base. "Katniss, look!"

Katniss huffs as she drops from the lowest branch. "What is it?"

Rue points off at a bush and Katniss gasps as she sees the silver bow that the blonde from District 1 had been carrying. She cautiously approaches the bush, knife at the ready in case the girl is still there. Taking a deep breath, she looks behind the bush, ready for anything and almost sighs in disappointment as she sees that there is nothing there. So, the girl survived and ran. She was probably the one making that God-awful racket in the distance.

Katniss reverently picks up the bow, terrified that it will disappear from her very hands. This is hope. This is glory, right here in her hands. _This _is how she is going to win, and no one, not even Cato from District 2, is going to stop her from getting home to her family.

Katniss grins in the direction of a Capitol camera, just to let them know she is now a true force to be reckoned with.

Later that night after hunting, Katniss prepares a meal for her new ally, Rue. She finds that the girl is very shy and quiet, but honest and hard working. She can only contemplate on how she does not want to be the one to kill the girl in the end, yet at the same time she does not want the girl to suffer a horrific death at the hands of one of the careers still roaming the arena.

"What else have you seen up in those trees," Katniss asks around the meat she is chewing on.

Table manners be damned. Let the Capitol cringe at her barbarism.

Rue shrugs, nibbling on a squirrel. "I saw the careers take off in different groups. The District 2 tributes went off together pretty fast, and I'm assuming they took to water. Your boyfriend ran off somewhere else by himself so maybe he wasn't really with the careers to begin with. The District 1 tributes got split up. The girl got the worst of the attack, so I doubt she will be moving around much if she isn't dead already."

Katniss nods, thinking through the information. So, perhaps Peeta hadn't been with the careers. What had he been doing with them then if not helping them? Surely they hadn't been keeping him around for the heck of it! _He's good at making people like him, but not _that_ good, _Katniss thinks.

She would need to figure this angle out, because if Peeta was a victim then he probably needs her help. Katniss frowns to herself, because she realizes the whole idea of saving Peeta is just stupid, especially when she needs to end him in the future. She sighs; looking at the carcass in her hands and knows she doesn't work that way.

She needs to know if he is alright.

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><p>It is dusk when Cato wakes up from a fucked up dream. He comes awake with a jolt and throws up, the venom leaving his body slowly. He rubs a hand over his eyes and groans in pain because his welts are oozing all over.<p>

"Hallucinations are just part of it," Clove says to him, idly watching him from her spot on a rock.

Cato blinks slowly and looks at her and he can almost swear that her hair is green. That could be the venom talking though. "You look like an elf," he says.

Clove smirks, "and you look like a toad, so we are even."

Clove is shaking from the cold, her clothes still soaked from the water she had been soaking her wounds in. Cato watches as she tilts her head to the side, listening. "What is it," he whispers.

She frowns, listening hard. "Someone has been screaming for awhile. I think it's Glimmer. Did you want to go find our 'ally'?"

Cato nods, wincing as he stands. It is cold out, but he tries to ignore it as he follows Clove through the forest. She is a good tracker with sound, her hearing excellent. Cato stumbles through the brush and smacks into many trees, and no one can pretend he knows how live in the forest by himself. Even Clove would have trouble.

Cato doesn't know how long they track Glimmer for, but it feels like ages with the chill breeze on his back. He isn't dressed for this weather and he knows that he and Clove need to hit the cornucopia again to look for supplies, such as clothing. Freezing to death would be the most shameful death possible and Cato isn't about to embarrass his family for all eternity. He could just see the neighbors now; _oh that's right, that was your son that died from the cold, wasn't it? Pity.  
><em>

"We are getting closer," Clove says quietly, interrupting his thoughts.

They come into a clearing and Cato squints in the dim moonlight to try and see where the girl is. Even though he can't see her, he can sure hear Glimmer crying. Clove bolts off in one direction, waving him over before she disappears into the dark. Cato follows, clomping loudly through the grass and dead leaves.

What they come across barely looks like the girl Cato remembers. Her face is swollen, as are her limbs. Clove builds a fire, shivering. Glimmer moans in pain, whimpering for help. The warmth from the fire is enough to soothe Cato's discomforts, but it also puts him on high alert for those that would choose to attack the campfire. The light from the fire illuminates Glimmer, who looks extremely sick.

Clove is examining the other girl carefully, lifting her limbs and moving her head back and forth as she examines the stings. "You foolish girl," Clove mutters, looking at the green and red tinted pus.

Cato sits and rubs his hands for warmth by the fire. "What's wrong, Clove?"

Clove sits back from Glimmer and responds coldly with, "Infection. She's been stung everywhere, she didn't take out any stingers because of the pain and none of the wounds have been cleansed in water, clearly. She's screwed."

"N..no, w..we can get medicine. Please, don't leave m..me," Glimmer stutters incoherently.

Clove is looking at Cato with an odd look on her face. "She's of no use anymore, Cato. You know what has to be done."

Cato shakes his head, "What about Marvel? Surely he can-"

Clove sneers and crawls back over to Glimmer. "Hey, princess, look at me. I said, look at me!"

Glimmer's dark green eyes are pained, and her eyes train themselves upon Clove's face. "It hurts, it hurts so bad…"

Clove smiles, her superior look, and gently runs a hand through Glimmer's long hair. "I know it hurts, Glimmer. I know. That's why I'm going to help you."

Glimmer's eyes start to widen with hope and Glimmer doesn't even feel it when Clove runs one of her knives across her jugular. Cato watches with detached interest as blood spurts out of the wound, pouring down Glimmer's creamy white neck, staining her clothes instantly with dark red. There is an awful gurgling noise for a moment as the body twitches, and then it stops.

The cannon sounds. "Did you have to do that already, Clove?"

Clove whirls on him, wiping the blood off of her blade. "Someone had to do it, or else she would just end up here screaming in pain for days."

Cato rolls his eyes skyward. "Marvel isn't going to see it that way when he comes looking for her."

"Screw him. He can't take us on anyway," Clove snaps, "Just keep an eye out for Fire Girl and Lover Boy."

Cato punches a fist into the dirt, dead corpse already forgotten. "Shit! We lost him!"

Clove nods. "That we did, and we are in trouble if he hooks up with Fire Girl, she's more resourceful than I thought she would be. Plus, Lover Boy knows how to rough you up."

Cato didn't doubt her resourcefulness. She got her eleven for something, and her bow was included in that score. The matter about Lover Boy being a fair match for Cato was still a sore spot though. Then a thought occurred to him. "Where did Glimmer drop her bow?"

Clove's hazel eyes widened. "She dropped it when the hive was dropped on us."

Silence fell between them as they both weighed the odds that Katniss had gotten her slimy hands on her weapon of choice. Great. This meant trouble, especially since she knew how to use it. Clove stared into the fire silently, but Cato knew the look on her face and he knew she was fuming inside. She never lost control; everything Clove did was with cold intent.

"I'll take first watch," Clove uttered.

Cato nods, sparing the body that was once Glimmer a slight glance. They could move the body later, he was too tired and ached everywhere. He wasn't moving anything. He lay on his back and stared into the canopy, waiting for sleep to come. When it did, the remaining venom in his body worked its magic on his mind.

_He is running through the forest, and everything is green, so very green and he is tired of it all. He wants cities again; he wants paved roads and civilization. He is running and everything is just blurring by his face and then there is blinding light, so bright that he has to shield his sensitive eyes from it._

_Cato has reached a clearing, an open field with high grass waving in the breeze. The sun is bright above this field, golden and fiery. Cato stops running for a moment to gather his breath and he almost drops his guard. Almost. Then he hears the creaking of wood, of a bow as a bolt is knocked into place._

_He looks across the field and sees _her_ standing there, her bow aimed directly at him. Cato stops breathing, entranced, paralyzed. The Girl on Fire's stormy eyes blaze in his direction, straight into his own eyes. Cato inhales, knowing he could throw a spear that distance and hit her, but would it be fast enough? He stands there, waiting, waiting to feel the thud in his chest as the bolt comes home, but nothing happened._

_Katniss lowers her bow slowly. Cato sneers at her weakness blatantly. "Can't do it, can you? You just don't have what it takes to kill someone!"_

_She is walking towards him slowly, the sun creating a warm halo around her. Katniss is ignoring his words, a blank expression on her face, as if he isn't screaming at her. Cato doesn't understand, and he still doesn't understand when she comes to a stop inches from him, doing nothing. She is so close that he can smell her, that he can see the dark flecks in her grey eyes. "You just don't know how to kill, do you, you stupid twat," he snarls aggressively to cover up his nerves because he doesn't know what to do anymore._

_He wants to strangle her, but his body isn't listening to his mind. Katniss smiles coldly as if she understands his inner struggle. She drops her bow and comes closer, ever closer to his face so that her lips brush his as she speaks softly to him. "Why kill you now, when I would prefer to kill you slowly?"_

_Cato feels shock race through his body. "What?"_

_Her eyes are dark and the smile on her lips is cold and knowing. Then her lips are on his and fire is exploding inside him at the feel of her skin. Her mouth is warm, and her beautiful eyes are closed as she moves her mouth over his repeatedly, slowly. Her fingers are wrapped around his wrists, and he loves the feel of her nails digging into his skin, and he knows he would love it more if his hands were bruising her hips._

_He grabs her tightly and pulls her flush against him, his teeth clashing against hers in an animalistic kiss as he tries to take control from her. Katniss is stronger though, as she is a calm storm, patient where he is a tornado of impatient passion that is always out of control. She is steady, even as she bites his lip, filling both of their mouths with the coppery taste of blood. He only groans in ecstasy, but he knows it should hurt._

_Then she is kissing a trail to his ear, and he shudders as she whispers, "Don't be so eager to die. I have all the time in the world and I might grant your wish."_

_Then she is gone without a trace, leaving him trembling inside._

When Cato wakes, it is light out and Clove hasn't slept. "Dream of anyone special," she asks sarcastically.

Cato has no words for what he just dreamed.

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>Hurray, the chapter has been completed, hope you all like it! Let me know what you think, I always update faster when I know I'm making people happy (because that makes me happy!)


	7. Waste

**AN:** Alright, sorry for the long wait, I had exams all this week and it was rather stressful, along with registering for classes and such. I had most of this written yesterday, but when I found out my Finance exam score I went out and found some whiskey and didn't look back. So most of this day was spent fighting my nasty hangover and then driving back home from college for Easter weekend. Good freaking times.

As always, thank you all so much for your thoughts and reviews! I love you :)  
>I also love hearing from people who tell me they were totally not CatoKatniss fans at all until they read this. Makes me feel super special! Thank you everyone!

**Disclaimer: **No I do not own the Hunger Games or the characters, those belong to Suzanne Collins.

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><p>:::027. Waste:::<p>

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><p>Katniss spends the whole night thinking of Peeta. She can't help it, she just thinks about him, staring up at the green canopy above her as she lies close to Rue, sharing warmth with the young girl. Where was he? Why had he betrayed her? Was he alright? These thoughts plague Katniss until her mind is so overwhelmed that her brain aches. It is hours before the first light begins to shine through the leaves, yet Rue stays deep in slumber. Katniss realizes that the young girl probably has had little rest before meeting Katniss. The Rue was probably too terrified to sleep alone.<p>

Katniss doesn't blame her; the careers are a scary foe in the night.

_We need to get moving, _Katniss thinks tiredly, not wanting to move from the cocoon of warmth she has created with the other girl. There is the sound of birds chirping and nothing else. Katniss does not trust the near silence and prefers to keep on the move when hunting. Being hunted by humans is an entirely different animal altogether. Katniss jerks out of her thoughts as Rue stirs out of her slumber.

"Good morning," the girl says sleepily.

Katniss smiles slightly, as this reminds her of Prim so much. It is a bittersweet thought, but welcome. "Good morning yourself," she replies lightly.

Rue sits up, looking this way and that carefully before pushing the brush off of their bodies. "What did you want to do today, Katniss?"

The question is so innocent, almost normal. It strikes Katniss as odd, because now that she is with someone else, she needs to do something. Peeta's face appears in her mind and she can't help but feel the pull to search him. She can't decide if she wants to slap him around or hug him tightly. Katniss just doesn't know, but she is sure either reaction would be okay. Rue is studying her like an owl, caramel eyes wide and all seeing. "Should we go scope out the boy from your district?"

Katniss thinks, her heart racing. She could find Peeta or she could hunt the competition, strike them while they are weak. Surely the careers did not know how to handle tracker jacker stingers. Surely they would be hurting now. Soft blue eyes and wayward blonde hair jumps into her mind once more and she shakes Peeta from her mind hard. Now is not the time.

Now is the time to _live_.

"No," Katniss says darkly, "we are going to hit the careers while they are down."

Rue doesn't smile, but she nods, because she understands. The greatest threat should always be eliminated first, and the greatest threat is the group of refined murderers running around the forest. Besides, the situation seems too personal to Rue; the large boy from District 2 seems to have a personal issue with Katniss and so in return Katniss has developed a personal issue with him.

The issue appears to be that both of them are living and one should be dead. Technicalities. Rue prefers that Katniss lives, because if District 2 wins Rue's chances of living go down drastically. No, Rue will stay with Katniss because Rue likes the other girl; she is kind and not hungry for glory._ If there is a righteous angel in the Hunger Games, Katniss is it_, Rue decides.

And she will _survive._

The girls work all morning devising a plan as they carefully walk through the brush. Katniss's grey eyes are always on the alert, scanning the distance. She never takes any chances, not when her life is on the line. They come across a clearing when Katniss notices dark stains in the dirt and on the plant life. "Someone injured came through here," she whispers to Rue.

Rue comes forward to examine what Katniss is looking at and nods in agreement. There was not much blood, but it was just enough to catch a hunter's eyes. They walk a little further and then Katniss sees a large stain beside a tree. She stops and listens, trying to hear movement. When she is satisfied that there is no one waiting for them in the brush, Katniss strides forward to examine the stained tree. "Is it the injured person," Rue asks.

Katniss shakes her head, running her hand across the dark spot. "It was the injured person. It looks like someone came and finished the job."

"The girl from District 1, maybe," Rue says.

"Could be if she got the brunt of that attack. However, if she got killed, that means someone just came through here not too long ago," Katniss responds.

Rue spots a pile of dirt and kicks at it. "Katniss, come look at this!"

Katniss comes over to see what Rue has uncovered under the hastily placed earth. "A burned out campfire," Katniss breathes out.

Rue nods eagerly. "Someone camped here with the girl for awhile before killing her. It must be the careers."

Katniss sneers. Typical; careers are always killing their allies when they are no longer useful. Motivation zings through her body like a jolt of lightning as she realizes how close they must be to the pack. "How many did you say were together after the hive fell?"

Rue thinks carefully before responding. "District 1 separated, so the boy could be anywhere. Peeta ran off somewhere else entirely. That leaves-"

Katniss frowns. "District 2, and they stick together, don't they?"

Rue held up a hand and crossed her middle and pointer finger together. "Yeah, they are like this basically."

"Great," Katniss says sarcastically.

She can do this. She has the bow, now all she needs are the targets. Katniss has hunted her whole life, her father taught her well. She can hunt humans, it isn't all that different she assumes. The idea of killing people doesn't exactly appeal to Katniss, but her world has become kill or be killed. "We are going to track them, Rue, and we are going to take them out."

Rue shrugs her small shoulders. "Let's do this. Just show me the way."

Katniss stands and blinks back tears because it is something that Prim would say.

* * *

><p>:::<p>

* * *

><p>Cato had expected this encounter to turn out this way.<p>

"What do you mean, she simply _died? _Those were damn bee stings, not knife wounds!"

Clove hides her face behind her hair briefly, and Cato can only assume that she is laughing at Marvel's fury. Cato shrugs his shoulders as if to say 'oh well,' and this only serves to piss off the skinny tall boy even more. Marvel's eyes flash angrily as he lunges at Cato, shoving him against a tree. "Tell me what fucking happened to Glimmer before I run you through!"

Clove's hand moves to one of her knives instantly. "You would be dead before you could even touch Cato. Don't think about it, or I'll have to waste you too."

Cato watches as the realization dawns in Marvel's eyes. "It was you," Marvel says numbly.

Clove doesn't smile; she's in her serious mode now. She is watching Marvel closely, as if waiting for him to make a move. "Yes, it was me."

Marvel turns red with anger as he tries to hold his fury in. Cato steps back to watch the scene unfold, confident that Clove can handle herself just fine against this buffoon. "I should kill you, I should snap your head right off your skinny shoulders," Marvel growls at her.

Clove rolls her eyes. "You should, but you don't dare. If you have the balls, come at me, bro, but I guarantee you won't walk away."

Marvel pulls a face that would have made Cato think he was constipated if not for the solemnity of the situation. The tension is thick as the group is silent, waiting for someone to make a move that will end in bloodbath. Finally, Marvel sneers at Clove and turns away. "I'll collect wood for the fire," he mutters to Cato.

Cato grins as he watches the sullen boy leave camp. "So pathetic, the way he pines after that girl," he says, "like 'boo hoo I want her back', what is that sappy shit?"

Clove nods. "Agreed. Now sit down somewhere you oaf, we need to discuss our next move. Demolition boy will be coming back soon after he finishes with the cornucopia."

* * *

><p>:::<p>

* * *

><p>After tracking for hours, Katniss found a strong trail with fresh boots tracks in the dirt. At this rate it wouldn't be long until she walked straight into the careers very camp. She would have to be careful so that she held the advantage of a surprise attack. Katniss will have to take out the biggest threat quickly and then run. Rue would be alright up in the trees.<p>

"Are we close? I think I can hear them talking," Rue whispers apprehensively.

Katniss pauses to listen and sure enough the sound of yappy voices carried on the wind towards them. The careers must have camped again, so it will be easier to take them out while they are resting targets. Katniss nods, readying her bow. She will have to be fast and efficient if they want to survive this encounter. "Remember what I told you, Rue. When I shoot, you run up a tree and hit anyone I miss with that slingshot of yours. Got it?"

Rue nods. "Got it, Katniss. Good luck."

Katniss takes a deep breath and moves forward silently. She doesn't have the high ground so she does not have the true advantage aside from she has a wicked ranged attack. The downside is that Clove also has a good ranged attack. Hopefully Katniss can complete this task without failing. She moves through the brush until the sounds of voices begin to get louder. It is only moments later that Katniss gets them in her sight.

She frowns as she watches them, their easy manner, laughing over the deaths of other children. It truly is a game to the careers, and taking lives doesn't bother them. Katniss raises the bow and puts the arrow in place and aims, first at Clove, but then at the boy sitting across from the girl. Katniss realizes that Cato is probably far more dangerous than Clove, so it would be wise to take him out first.

She watches him for a few moments, waiting for the right second to let the arrow go. Cato has an easy smile when in the right company, it appears. She closes her eyes for a second, trying to come to terms with the fact that she will be the one to stop the world from seeing that bright, arrogant smile ever again. When she shoots, no one will hear his laugh ever again.

Katniss hardens herself against these thoughts, because if she doesn't kill him, he will kill her and the people she cares about. She exhales and releases the arrow and stifles a shout of horror as it whistles away towards an unexpected target. _Where did he come from?_

Katniss watches as the arrow thuds into the back of a new boy who has entered the camp, stopping front of Cato to speak to him. The boy falls to the ground, and Katniss realizes it was the boy from the explosives and engineering district. Her time is up, because Cato is staring straight at her and he is _pissed_.

"You missed me, you fucking bitch!" Cato shouts out, his whole face turning red with fury.

Katniss turns and runs, shouting for Rue to hide. She can hear the loud footfalls of Cato behind her and it drives Katniss to move faster. _I can't believe I missed. Curse that boy, _Katniss thinks as she dives between the trees.

"I'm….going….to…kill you…" Cato pants out loudly.

Katniss takes a sharp turn, remembering her way back to where Rue would be headed. This was not good, Katniss would have to lose Cato before going anywhere and she had a sinking suspicion that he wasn't going to stop until he had caught her. She runs faster, her breath becoming shaky as her legs turn to jelly. She hasn't run this hard in awhile.

She hears Cato fall behind, because he can't keep up with her through the twisting woods. Katniss is in luck, because if it had been a field, Cato would have caught her. Just as Katniss runs into a clearing, she sees Rue and runs to her. "We have to get out of here! They are coming right behind me!"

Rue slings her backpack over her shoulder and stands up, ready to run when Katniss sees a new shadow moving in the trees behind the young girl. "Look out, Rue!"

Rue doesn't move, petrified as the boy from District 1 lunges out of the forest and pulls her into what looks like a tight embrace. Katniss feels her heart drop into her stomach as she hears screaming and realizes the sounds are tearing from her own throat. Marvel steps back from Rue, holding a large, red knife in his hand. The small girl drops to the floor as if in slow motion, darkness spreading over her clothing.

Katniss loses control of her body and charges at the boy, ready to rip his heart right out of his chest. Marvel is unprepared for this and starts to take a few steps backwards, back towards the trees. It isn't enough. Katniss blows right into him, taking him straight to the floor a few feet away from Rue's still bleeding body. The sound of Rue crying in pain only spurs Katniss on more as she straddles Marvel's chest and pounds her fists into his face repeatedly.

He is thrashing beneath her and Katniss can barely see through the tears in her eyes, shouting, "You shouldn't have done that, you shouldn't have _freaking_ done that!"

Her hands reach his throat and suddenly Katniss is watching the light die in his eyes. Marvel stops struggling. Katniss sits back and stares at the body beneath her for a moment, soaking in the horror of the moment. She has just killed a boy with her bare hands, the hands that are currently covered in blood.

"Rue," she breathes out brokenly.

Numbly, Katniss turns her head to look at the little girl lying in the middle of the clearing. Rue is still alive, but barely, and Katniss goes to stand up and go to the girl when another figure steps out of the forest across from her. Katniss freezes.

Like a wolf, Cato snuck up on her while Katniss was distracted. Sweat is beaded on his forehead from chasing her down, and in his hand he is holding his sword, which glitters brightly in the waning light. Katniss feels stupid, knowing her tears are written all over her face. This is not the person she wants to have witness her crying.

"Guess you forgot about two of my other allies today, didn't you Girl on Fire?"

His voice is cruel and sarcastic, his green eyes stripping away her soul. In between them, Rue struggles to breathe, whispering, "Katniss, Katniss…" over and over.

Katniss chokes on another sob as Cato begins to stride towards her. What she would give to stay beside Rue. Just as Cato is almost upon her, something whistles through the air and lodges itself in Katniss's shoulder. She cries out in pain, but the pain brings her back from sorrow. She turns away from Rue's body and runs despite the knife digging into her flesh.

Her time is running out, she has to find Peeta. There is no one else she can turn to.

* * *

><p>:::<p>

* * *

><p>Cato watches as the girl he has been chasing all over the damned arena takes a knife in the shoulder, a knife that isn't from him. Fury overtakes him as she turns and runs, and Cato looks over his shoulder at Clove, her hand still in a throwing motion. Cato lunges at her, throwing her down on the ground harshly. "You could have killed her! What were you thinking," he snarls.<p>

Clove sneers up at him from her place on the ground. She stands up and smacks him across the face, the sound echoing through the trees. "I was saving your sorry ass, because you are too weak to kill her yourself! I'm tired of this game you are playing with her. Finish it and get it over with, Cato, or I will do it for you."

Cato spits and stabs his blade into Rue's body, forever silencing her continued cries for help. He strides back over to Clove, his face a mask of rage. "I am not weak. I want the Girl on Fire, and I want her in my own fucking way, and _it's none of your damn business what I do_ _with her_!"

Clove steps back from him, shaking her head in disbelief, not even twitching when the cannon sounds, announcing Rue's death. "I can't believe this is you, Cato. You are letting this girl rule your life! You are here to win, not to chase after some girl you are obsessed over."

Cato shoves her down again, shaking with fury. "I am _not_ obsessed with her!"

Clove laughs bitterly, "Don't lie to my face, Cato. The moment you first saw her, the moment you heard that she volunteered, just like yourself, you obsessed over her. When she beat you in the scoring process you couldn't get her out of your head because you were so pissed that she outdid you. Then, oh yeah, then you saw her in that flaming dress and suddenly it was like you couldn't decide if you wanted to kill her or fuck her. Or is it a mix of both Cato?"

Cato shakes his head slowly. "I can't believe I'm hearing this from you. I don't have to listen to this shit," he says as he turns his back to her and starts to walk away, humiliated because there might be some truth to his partner's blunt words.

"The truth hurts, doesn't it Cato?"

"Fuck you," he snarls, not stopping his stride. "She's the dirt beneath my feet, and nothing more."

Katniss Everdeen means nothing to him.

* * *

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>Hurray, I got some dirty business out of the way! Poor Rue :(

Sorry, I know some people wanted her to live/or die in a nicer way, but I'm not known for being nice to my characters! I love angst too much. Looks like Peeta is going to get a handful of Katniss pretty soon.

Anyway, read and review, let me know what you think! 3 I know there wasn't much Cato and Katniss in this chapter, but hey, there will be plenty of that AFTER the games. Because there will only be Katniss and Cato left...oh boy.


	8. Faith

**AN: **Hello everyone, I'm back! Fair warning, may I remind you that yes, this is mainly Cato/Katniss, but that there is slight Peeta/Katniss. Don't be too mad, we all know that we love Peeta!

Thank you to all my reviewers! You guys rock! I know some of you were angry about Rue's death, and some of you had originally asked me to...let her die in a 'nicer' way, but it just came out how it did. Katniss needed to be pissed, she needs to be guilty and full of sorrow just how I like her. Oh yes, and someone did mention Cato seeming to be more sympathetic about Glimmer's death and not be sympathetic about Rue. In all actuality, I don't think he really cared about Glimmer dying, he just didn't want to piss Marvel off too early in the game when Cato still needed him.

Secondly...**I WROTE A PRESENT FOR MY _REVIEWERS_ BECAUSE I LOVE YOU! **

You may ask, is this chapter the present? No. It is not. The night before Easter I got struck by an idea that has been bothering me for awhile...and I wrote it all in one night. It is a **COMPLETE** oneshot Cato/Katniss fic. It is 23 pages long in word document and over 10,000+ words. Did I mention it is complete? Did I mention there is _sex_? Yeah. There is. I will be posting it sometime tomorrow or Friday after I go over it again and add more or whatnot to it. Be on the lookout for it, I feel like you deserve it since I know this story moves slowly in the romance department :)

::::

Aside from my love for my reviewers (you don't need to read anything further because I'm about to get unpleasant and it isn't towards you)...um people with this on Story Alert...there are over **420** of you! Stop being shy and give a shout out every once in awhile. I don't care if you can't make it to every chapter, but every once in awhile is great. You know how it feels when people don't give you feedback on your hard work. If you have the time to story alert someone _and _favorite them, I'm sure you have the time to give a review every once in awhile if you truly like what you are reading! I know I review other stories all the time. If there is something I like and I hope the author keeps writing, I comment, because I know that authors live on reviews. I've seen good stories go uncompleted because an author loses interest after their readers stop reviewing because they just assume the author knows what they like. It happens all the time. I feel like something has to be said for the whole Cato/Katniss community here on this site because I've noticed that a lot of hard working authors aren't getting the love they need to keep writing!

*done with irritated rant*

**Disclaimer: **No I do not own the Hunger Games or any of the characters. Those belong to Suzanne Collins. *EDIT OOPS. I originally posted the last name of another favorite author of mine, Kim Harrison haha, disregard that.*

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><p>:::004. Faith:::<p>

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><p>Katniss stumbles through the forest, trying to hold in her sobs. Everything hurt; her heart for the loss of her new friend, so similar to her sister, and of course the knife still embedded in her right shoulder. The numbness she feels in her chest only offsets the pain radiating from her shoulder to arm slightly. It is difficult to run, one arm clutching at her injury, where blood is seeping between her fingers. This is not a good wound, and if she doesn't find water, herbs, and Peeta, she may as well die from infection.<p>

She doesn't hear any loud footsteps behind her, so she safely assumes that no one is following her. At least that is what Katniss is banking on because she needs to sit down and rest. The loss of blood from her shoulder is making her head feel faint and she can feel the blood pounding through her skull. She rests beside a tree biting in her sorrow because she can't afford to cry out loud. Weakness is frowned upon by sponsors.

Katniss knows that she shouldn't pull out the knife yet, because if she does so without the proper supplies she may just bleed out on the forest ground. Aside from the wound, there is also Rue and the way she cried for help in her last moments. Katniss covers her eyes with her hand, hiding her tears, her other hand digging into her wound. It just isn't fair. The whole stupid game isn't fair. How come no one had volunteered for Rue? How come no one had saved her from getting stuck in the Hunger Games? Katniss doesn't understand how the girl had no family to fall for her, even though family only goes so far in the matter of life and death.

Katniss feels enough guilt to fill an ocean and knows that she should have done something to save Rue. She knows she should have, but at the same time she knows that she had no choice but to run away. Both of the careers from District 2 had descended upon her while she had finished off the boy from District 1, there is no way she could save a mortally injured Rue and live to tell the tale.

She knows this to be the truth and it hurts. It hurts almost as much as the knife in her shoulder.

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><p>Peeta Mellark has never starved a day in his whole life, but right now he thinks his stomach is about to close in on itself. It is not an attractive feeling. He doesn't have survival skills, not like Katniss does, so he has been limited to scavenging for plants that seem to be edible. For a boy that has eaten bread his whole life, plants that taste like freshly cut grass do not appeal very much.<p>

His tracker jacker stings have all healed up for the most part, and his is lucky that he got away so quickly from the scene of the attack. From what Peeta understood, at least one of the careers had died from the amount of stings, which was a wonderful thing because that meant one less crazy to worry about.

Peeta continues mentally grumbling, because the lack of food has made him decidedly cranky. Oh, that and the fact that there are people running around trying to kill him. That happens to be a depressing thing too. He is worried out of his mind about Katniss, because he knows how pissed she must be at him over that whole career thing and her being stuck in a tree while he stood there and did nothing to help her. What could he have done? There was no way he, the bread boy, could have overtook four healthy careers.

Peeta hopes she isn't angry, because it would be really nice to-

"Oomf!"

He lands flat on his face as he trips over a large tree trunk. A tree trunk that is moving. _Huh_? Peeta rolls onto his side and comes face to face with…"Katniss?"

She groans in response and Peeta barely has time to thank his lucky stars that he found her when he notices the blood staining her body. "Oh my God, are you alright? Katniss? _Katniss_!"

Peeta Mellark, the boy with bread, also known as Lover Boy, does not know much about first aid, but he can sure tell that Katniss has lost a lot of blood and he needs to get her to water fast. She mutters something incoherent and squirms, swatting at his face sloppily as if to hit him, but she is too weak to make the hit count. "I know, I know you are pissed at me, but I swear, I'll make it up to you," Peeta says as her drags her back the way he came, towards the small river he had found earlier.

It is a slow process, dragging her to the river, and Peeta is constantly on the lookout for unwanted visitors. So far no one has shown their face so Peeta is certain that it will be alright to stop for awhile by the water to take care of Katniss. He only hopes that she recovers quickly. After about half an hour, Peeta finally hears the water running and his motivation rises. He gets her to the river in record time and pulls the large knife out, wincing as he does so even though Katniss doesn't make a sound. She is passed out cold.

The blood begins to seep out from the entry wound and Peeta quickly starts to bathe the wound with water to make sure that it is clean. Infection is the worst thing that could possibly happen now, aside from the killing-machine extraordinaire bursting through the trees. After he washes the wound thoroughly, Peeta tears off a bit of material from his pants and washes it before tying it tightly around the wound. Hopefully it will stop the flow of blood pouring out of the wound. He puts some pressure on the injury, pressing down hard to help the process along.

Katniss wakes up at this sensation, nearly letting out a wail of pain. Peeta covers her mouth with his hand and says, "I'm sorry, it has to be done or you won't get better."

Her grey eyes focus on his face and he watches as anger lights up in them, and then dies, smoothing out to a calm sky over the ocean. "Peeta?"

He nods, brushing the hair off of her forehead where it has stuck to her dried sweat. "I kind of, uh, stumbled across you. I brought you to some water and cleaned your wound while you were out. Do you think you can drink some water? You've lost a lot of blood."

She nods faintly, and then her eyes sharpen slightly. "Why am I in your lap, Peeta?"

He blushes. "Ah. It was easier to clean your wound, I guess."

Smiling slightly at his words, Katniss sits up slowly and grimaces while she looks at her shoulder. "Well, you did a good job, Peeta. Thank you."

He shrugs. "No problem. I wasn't about sit around and watch you bleed out, Katniss. You know I wouldn't."

Katniss quirks her lips, because she can almost hear the Capitol viewers cooing at this remark. However, if the Capitol wants some District romance, perhaps she can help it along. Haymitch has already told her to go with it to gain sponsors. Without sponsors, they are screwed and District 12 rarely got good sponsors.

Aside from all that, Peeta is too charming to ignore, always has been. It is more of a chore to hate him than it is to pretend to be his girlfriend. He makes it so easy. The Capitol already loves him anyway. It is then that Katniss hears the liquid words spilling from her mouth, saying, "Thank you, Peeta. I don't know what I would have done without you. I'm glad you found me."

The grin he gives her is worth it all and deep down Katniss doesn't think the sentence was completely a lie. She _is_ glad that he found her. The only thing she has to worry about now is the fact that only one of them can live, and it has to be her or else her family will have to find a way to survive without her.

She feels faint again, even after drinking some water. Peeta notices and suggests that they search for some cover for the night. Katniss agrees, because she knows that careers will look for water as well and it could lead them close by. It would be better for both Katniss and Peeta if they found shelter fast. Peeta helps her to her feet and together they move away from the water, but not before filling up Katniss's canteen for the trip.

They walk for an hour, talking quietly between them before finding a small cave under a hill. Peeta goes inside first to make sure that it isn't already occupied before going back to Katniss to tell her the coast is clear. Katniss looks around at the surrounding bushes, saying, "We should gather some of those to build a cover for the cave. Anyone who walks by will want to check it out, just like we did. If we can camouflage it we will be better protected."

Peeta flashes Katniss an award winning grin, replying, "Good idea. I would have never thought of that and I'm good at camouflage."

Peeta builds the cover while Katniss crawls into the cave, sighing in relief as she rests her aching body. The walk was long and brutal due to her injury and the break sitting down is heaven. Katniss can tell that the wound has stopped bleeding, but it aches, setting her teeth on edge. Peeta comes in to join her awhile later, bearing some plants and berries. Katniss examines them all with a careful eye, sorting out what is good to eat and what isn't.

As it got dark, Rue and Marvel's faces lit up the sky as the dead for the day. Katniss whimpers, feeling the emotions from earlier rise in her chest. She has failed the girl, the little girl who had originally saved her life. "She helped you earlier, didn't she?" Peeta asks.

Katniss nods sadly, munching on some berries. "She saved my life when I was stuck up in that tree. Then, when she needed me the most, I…I turned and ran to save myself."

Peeta examines her face, knowing that guilt is eating her up inside. "There was nothing you could do, Katniss."

Katniss pounds her hand against the rock beneath them and curses. "I could have done something. I should have. I left her there, with the careers…who knows what they did to her before she died? She didn't deserve that!"

Peeta grabs her hand and looks it over for scratches. "If the careers were there, then there was nothing you could have done, Katniss. They would have killed you and then they would have killed her. There is no way around it, no matter how you look at it. Stop beating yourself up about something you couldn't prevent!"

Katniss goes silent, because there is no arguing with Peeta's logic. She wipes her eyes angrily and looks at him sadly. "I get that, but it still hurts because it could have been Prim."

Peeta pulls her close and lets her lean against him for warmth and comfort. "Yeah, but it wasn't Prim. All that matters is that you are safe now."

Katniss allows Peeta to put his arm around her, because it is becoming quite cold and she doesn't mind being close to him. Rue was the last person she had been close to in the arena and now she is gone. She breathes in his scent, and beneath the sweat he smells like the nature that surrounds them, and it comforts her. "There are still two careers who are breathing though, so who knows how long we will be safe for."

Peeta considers her words, enjoying her body next to his even though it is really only supposed to be for show. "We will have to avoid them then. That big guy from 2 has a personal vendetta out for you too, so we can be sure that he will be looking for you. What did you do to piss him off, by the way?"

Cato's determined face flashes into Katniss's thoughts and she groans, "God above, why can't he and Thresh meet each other somewhere and have a battle to the death? That would solve so many problems."

Peeta shrugs, saying, "Well, which is worse, Cato, who is obsessed with killing you, or his partner, Clove, who is obsessed with killing everyone but him?"

Katniss thinks about it and can't decide. "I was kind of hoping those two would have a falling out somewhere and kill each other, but it doesn't seem like that is about to happen any time soon. Unfortunate."

They sit there in the dark, both thinking deeply about what the next day will bring. Katniss feels Peeta's lips brush her forehead and it's like a jolt of lightening has rocketed through her. She looks up at him in shock, but tells herself that it is all just for show, that Peeta doesn't really mean any of this. The other half of her isn't so sure, and she wonders what it would be like to kiss him for real.

She's never kissed anyone before.

"I wish we could both win," she whispers, looking up at his blue eyes.

He presses his lips against her forehead once more, saying, "As do I."

They sleep pressed together that night, and Katniss knows she should be completely embarrassed because everyone back home is watching her sleep next to him. She can just hear the judgmental thoughts closing in on her. She doesn't really care, because he is warm and safe, and if she has to be out here in some damn forest she might as well be here with someone she can care about.

Peeta smiles in his sleep all night long.

In the morning, a voice rings out across the whole arena. "Attention, tributes! There has been a change in the rules…"

* * *

><p>:::<p>

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><p>Clove is fuming. "You know what this means, don't you?"<p>

Cato looks at her from under lowered lids, lying on his back. He is sunning, or at least trying to and Clove is getting in the way. He says dryly, "What does it mean, Clove?"

Her fists clench and her face scrunches up in an interesting way. "It means that the Girl on Fire and Lover Boy are reunited. There is no way they would make that rule change unless those two had gotten back together, shoving their romance in everyone's faces."

Cato frowns at the mention of the lovers reunited, but he shrugs his uneasiness off. "So? It also means that you and I can win this together also. You honestly think they stand a chance against us? We've trained our entire lives for this moment, they haven't. I don't get why you care so much."

"She didn't die last night, clearly. I thought I knifed her deep enough," Clove mutters angrily.

Cato bristles, sneering, "You better be glad you didn't take my kill, otherwise you will be the one under my blade."

Clove laughs sarcastically. "Are you threatening me, Cato? Please. Don't even go there. You won't like how it ends."

He looks at her coldly, displeased with this turn of events. "We will find them, and I will kill her and you can have him. I don't care what you do as long as you don't touch her again."

Clove smiles and leans down towards him, so close that he can see the green flecks in her hazel eyes. "Oh, don't get jealous, Cato. I don't swing her way. That's all you, buddy. I've told you before, I don't care what you do with her, and I just want the end result to be us winning, like it's supposed to be. We need to find them and end all of this now."

Cato isn't sure he can handle living forever with Clove. It would be an awkward affair, and they would probably beat the shit out of each other eventually, but perhaps it would work. She understood him, and she knew his flaws and didn't care.

The Girl on Fire appears in his thoughts then, her sharp eyes and stern frown. Her determination to win. He had seen her kill Marvel and he had stood there and watched with fascination. It was the first emotion he had ever saw her truly express. Pain. Pure emotional pain. She had thrown Marvel down and strangled the life out of him, screaming in rage the entire time while Marvel gurgled below her. It had been glorious and Cato had been so completely stunned that he hadn't known what to do for a moment. He half wishes he had been Marvel just so he could feel all that emotion directed at him.

She had been crying, and she had been so pretty then. Cato scoffs at the thought. Of course she had run back to her Lover Boy for help. Cato doesn't know what the two tributes from District 12 have planned, but all Cato knows is that he would rather die than see Peeta Mellark become a joint victor with Katniss Everdeen, living happily ever after for all eternity.

Disgusting.

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> Alright, there is chapter 8 for you. We got Peeta and Katniss together, warming up to each other physically and emotionally. We got Cato and Clove falling apart over separate goals. We got the Capitol scheming to have two victors. Who is going to live, who is going to die? I'm sure some of you have a good idea.

You know what to do faithful readers!


	9. Choke

**AN:** First off, I just wanted to say that I was blown away by how great you all were for last chapter, you definitely motivated me to get off my ass again and crank out another chapter for you quickly. I started on this like 4 days ago, but then this whole weekend I was at my hunter's safety and gun training class (9 hours _every day_) so basically I went to class and then just kind of…passed out. Sorry about that

I just wanted to reiterate from my rant last chapter, I _didn't_ mean to badger people to review _every_ chapter, I only meant that it would be cool if you could drop me a review every once and awhile to let me know you still care! I was getting a little worried before when it took about five days to get 30 reviews out of 400+ people watching (thus the lack of interest kind of created my lack up interest/updating plus disappointment). Anyway, again, if I made anyone upset, I didn't mean to hurt you, I was just letting you know about my anxiety on it, and no don't worry, I don't mean review every chapter if you don't want, but don't completely forget about me because that makes me sad and then I just go cry! Well, I don't go cry, but I'm sure you get the idea ha. For chapter 7 we had like 30 people review out of 420, then like over 70 for 450 for last chapter-WAY BETTER RATIO THERE! Way to go guys I'm proud :)

On another note, the story I posted as a gift to everyone here is up, it is called "Life After Peeta Mellark" if you are interested and have not seen it yet. It a completed oneshot, with sex, foul language, and all that jazz. Why is there all that in a one shot? Because like I said, this story is slow to the romance and the romance doesn't even really get rolling until _after_ the games in this fic so I wrote something slightly raunchy to hold you over!

**Disclaimer: **No I don't own the Hunger Games or the characters. Those belong to Suzanne Collins.

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><p>:::015. Choke:::<p>

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><p>Peeta wakes up to sound of nearby voices and instinctively knows that it is not going to be a good day. He gently nudges Katniss, who is curled up in his arms asleep, still exhausted from the day before with her encounter with the careers and loss of her ally. "Katniss," he whispers, "wake up, someone is outside the cave."<p>

Katniss comes awake slowly, grogginess still commanding her entire form. "What do you mean, someone is outside the cave?"

Peeta flings a hand over her mouth and Katniss startles, looking at him with shocked eyes. Peeta puts a finger to his mouth to indicate silence and points beyond the canopy camouflage they have made as cover. Sure enough, Katniss can hear gentle murmuring somewhere in the distance and she strains her ears to try and figure out who it is. Or who she hopes it isn't.

The voices stop briefly, and then they start up again. Katniss assumes that it must be the District 2 careers, because who else would be travelling in a group large enough to have a conversation in the open? Katniss begins to shake, because her shoulder still kills and she is trapped in a cave with Peeta. If the careers come, there is no way they are getting away by simply running.

The two of them wait, still as rocks. Peeta can feel every single breath that Katniss takes and he can feel his hands cramping because his fists are clenched so tightly. The rock beneath them is uncomfortable and Peeta feels like a rat waiting to be found. The voices disappear again and they listen for awhile longer. "Do you think they passed us already?" Peeta asks as quietly as he can.

Katniss shushes him, shaking her head slowly, her eyes and ears still alert and trained on the camouflage entrance to their hideout. They can see a bit of the outside through the leaves camouflaging them, but the view is still pretty limited. They wait for awhile longer and Peeta lets out the breath he had been holding. "Katniss, I'm sure they left-"

This time it is Katniss who slaps a hand over his mouth. Peeta is confused, but then he sees in the distance and he goes cold. Passing by not even thirty feet away is the girl from District 2, Clove, and her eyes are trained on the ground as she slowly walks through the brush. She stops occasionally to look at something, but then moves on, searching.

Searching for Peeta and Katniss.

It isn't long before Cato shows up some distance behind Clove, his loud feet useless for tracking. "What have you found?" He asks loudly.

Katniss watches as Clove snaps her head around and hisses furiously, "What have I told you about shouting all over the forest? You are giving our position away!"

Cato shrugs his wide shoulders. "What do I care? Let them take a shot at me."

Clove shakes her head and continues looking at the ground, looking for blood stains and footprints. "Get real, Cato. People aren't going to be coming after you, they are going to be running away and then we are going to spend the whole game chasing people around like idiots."

Peeta mumbles around Katniss's hand. "She's got that right."

Katniss cringes as Clove's head whips around. _That girl has the ears of a wolf, _Katniss thinks grudgingly.

Katniss feels pinned as the hazel eyes of Clove rove over the camouflaged cave hill suspiciously. The girl frowns and walks towards it, squinting as if she just doesn't understand. "What is that?" Clove asks her partner.

Cato gives the camouflaged cave a cursory glance and snorts. "I don't know, it looks like a large bush or something. I highly doubt people are going to be hiding in a bush. Fucking unclassy."

Clove approaches the hill slowly, and Peeta shivers, his heart pounding so hard that he fears the other girl can hear it. "You would be surprised," Clove says slowly, "by what people would do to survive, Cato."

"Clove," Cato says with exasperation, "we can find another large bush for you to get your freak on with. Let's go, you are wasting daylight."

Clove scowls, standing stock still for a few moments more before turning away. She walks towards Cato and the pair starts to move in the opposite direction of the cave hill. Peeta and Katniss let out the breath they had been holding in. "That was close," Peeta whispers.

Katniss nods, but then pales as Clove stops beside a tree that Katniss had brushed past earlier. Clove reaches out and touches a dark stain and frowns once more, turning back towards the camouflaged cave, saying, "They were here, Cato. I got her good, I know I did. She can't be far, not with that injury. I don't care what you say about it, but that is no regular bush!"

The girl stormed back in their direction and Katniss looked at Peeta in horror. "Peeta, where is my bow? I don't see it in here."

Peeta gives her a helpless expression. "It's somewhere near the back, it's too dark to see where I put it though."

"You're kidding me Peeta, you're freaking kidding me!"

"I have a few knives," he offers helpfully.

Then all chaos descends upon them as Clove bursts through the entrance, right underneath the camouflage. "I knew it!" Clove shouts triumphantly

Katniss dives at the other girl before she can pull out one of her throwing knives. They both land on the rocky floor, Clove shrieking. Katniss grabs Clove's head and slams it against the hard ground and Clove wails in agony, one of her hands grabbing at Katniss's face and the other finding its way to her shoulder wound. Finding the soft spot, still dazed from the head bash, Clove digs her fingers in, causing Katniss to cry out in pain as her wound tears open again.

"Let her go you crazy bitch!" Peeta shouts, slamming his booted foot into Clove's side.

The girl grunts in pain, but doesn't let go. Peeta watches at Katniss's blood begins to seep through Clove's fingers. Clove kicks out at Peeta's knee, causing it to collapse briefly under the sudden pressure. He curses and grapples for the knife he has hidden in his boot. As Peeta pulls it out, Clove rolls off of Katniss, wary of the new threat. "Cato!"

Katniss sits up, breathing heavily as blood begins to soak her upper half. She buries her fist in Clove's stomach, causing the other girl to bend in half momentarily. Peeta helps Katniss stand up. "We are so not having a cave battle with these two," Katniss groans, "Find my bow, we need to scram before Cato blocks our exit."

Clove shouts for Cato again, sounding frustrated. There is an answering shout, signaling that Cato has heard her. Peeta gives Clove a glance and says out of the corner of his mouth to Katniss, "Take your pick, Katniss, you go find your own bow or you tango with her again."

Katniss crawls to the back of the cave and searches the dark ground for her bow, because she is not getting into it again with that girl, definitely not with this shoulder wound.

There is an undignified scream from somewhere in the front of the cave and Katniss hopes it isn't Peeta. Her hands scramble across the rough floor, searching for the familiar weapon. Peeta and Clove are rolling around on the floor, Clove pulling at Peeta's hair and Katniss isn't sure that Peeta is going to be able to hold the wild cat off for much longer. Then light bathes the entire cave as the camouflage canopy disappears, torn down like a fragile leaf. Katniss smiles grimly as she finally sees her bow, shoved in a corner. She grabs it quick and swings around to face the entrance to the cave. Cato's whole body nearly fills the entrance and he is staring down at the struggling pair with a disgusted face.

_Pulling hair, Clove? The fuck…_Cato muses as he moves into the cave, crouching so that he doesn't hit his head.

Cato hears the creak of a bow being knocked and he swings his eyes to the back of the cave where his favorite she-wolf is aiming an arrow at him. Great. He swings his bag up in front of himself to protect his body as Katniss lets loose, the arrow whistling above Clove and Peeta's heads. The arrow buries itself in the bag that Cato used as a shield and Katniss curses loudly, snarling, "Why won't you just take a hit already!"

Cato drops the bag on top of Peeta, who cries out in outrage. Furious at her miss for the second time while aiming at Cato, Katniss dives at him, whipping him across the face with her bow. Cato grabs a hold of the bow and uses it to fling Katniss right out of the cave, using her own momentum against her. She yelps as she trips and falls. Within moments, Cato is crouching over her, his hands going around her neck and he barely has time to think about how easy it would be to simply snap it.

Katniss's fingers instantly go to his hands, her sharp nails biting into his skin. Her eyes are like fire, glaring into his furiously. Cato grins at her darkly, unwittingly feeling enjoyment from the position in a way that he knows he shouldn't, but he also knows he's too fucked up in the head to care. You don't grow up to be a killing machine and then come out peachy keen, after all. Then Cato realizes that he has been here in this moment before, in his dreams and it scares the shit out of him.

His eyes widen briefly and his grips slackens, because he's got her completely under him like he's always dreamt of and now he doesn't know what to do because killing her would be too easy. There were so many others ways he could destroy her-

Well. That wasn't in his dreams. _Shit_.

Katniss had crunched her body practically in half beneath him, wrapping her legs around his neck in some ridiculous choke hold. Cato feels the air get stuck in his lungs and his grip on her neck loosens even further as her legs tighten around him. He doesn't even have the time to actually appreciate that he has his face right between her legs because she is somehow squeezing the life out of him with her fucking _thighs_.

"How's…the view…down there…" Katniss gasps out with effort.

Cato feels an explosion go off in his chest because he will not tolerate her bullshit taunts. He growls, his face going purple as all his oxygen begins to disappear. He can still do this and even though he feels himself passing out he knows he can still make a last ditch effort. He leans forward hard into her grasp and moves his hands from her neck to her head, then he slams his whole body backwards as hard as he can so that her head cranks forward, causing her to cry out in pain as her spine begins to stretch.

Air. Her legs drop away from his neck and Cato can breathe again. He gulps in air wildly, still in disbelief that a girl from the slums of District 12 had actually pulled a fucking move on him and nearly gotten away with it. The two of them both sat there breathing heavily, staring each other down, waiting for their rivals next move and hoping they would get a chance to gain back their breath. There was an occasional yelp from the cave, which was normal by this point, but then Peeta screams, "Katniss, stop her before she gets away!"

Katniss squints back at the cave, still wary of her foe. _What is he going on about, _she thinks mutinously.

She sees Peeta emerge from the cave, giving Clove a hard right hook to the face. The girl crumpled instantly, blood spurting from her mouth. Peeta shouts at Katniss again and points and then Katniss sees a flash of red hair racing away from the mouth of the cave hill. Katniss thinks, _Foxface? What is she doing here? _

Then she realizes why Peeta is freaking out; in Foxface's hand is her backpack, loaded with their supplies; and she is running away with it. Fast as lightening, Foxface tears right by Katniss and Cato, bending briefly to pick up another pack some distance off before taking off at full speed. "That's my fucking food," Cato snarls, getting up instantly and chasing after the girl.

Peeta is giving Katniss an anxious look and Katniss sighs, looking at her shoulder where it is still bleeding steadily. Without that pack there would be no way that Katniss would survive the reopening of her wound. "Watch her, Peeta! I'll get our stuff back."

Katniss starts to run off in the direction that Foxface had disappeared off to and Peeta calls out after her, "Be careful, Katniss! I'll wait for you to get back!"

Katniss smiles and then breaks into a full sprint, ducking under low hanging branches and jumping over fallen logs. In the near distance she hears Cato's loud footfalls, not to mention his loud curses. Foxface must be giving him a good run, but it would all be for nothing if her endurance isn't better than his.

Deep down, Katniss knows that the only way she is getting that pack back is if Foxface can't outrun Cato, and no matter how much she needs that pack, she still feels bad for what will happen to Foxface if Cato gets her. There are a few moments of intense chasing and eventually Katniss loses sight of the running pair. Gasping for breath, Katniss stares at the ground, trying to figure out what general direction the two people ran off in.

She follows them north, finding Cato's heavy footprints in the mud. It isn't long before the screams start and Katniss finds one of the bags on the floor. Katniss grins and opens it hastily because she needs to get away once Cato finishes doing whatever he is doing to Foxface. However, when she opens the pack, Katniss feels her heart drop as she sees that it is not her pack, but Cato's. "Crap," Katniss mutters angrily.

She does not want to get in the middle of the confrontation occurring not too far off. Not to mention her shoulder is aching so hard that she feels sick. Katniss has no choice though, and she picks up the pack and walks in the directions of the loud screams of pain. She eventually finds them, Cato gutting Foxface against a tree, his hand buried in her stomach. The girl is twitching violently in his grasp, her hands clawing at his face.

The red head's guts have spilled all over the forest floor and the stench is awful. Katniss wrinkles her nose and scans the area for her pack, hoping to get away before Cato notices her presence. She mentally curses when she sees that it is just not her day, because her pack is right at Cato's feet. There is no way she is sneaking up behind him, no way in hell. She drops his pack loudly on the ground to get his attention and watches as Cato instantly drops the dying girl.

He turns and smirks at the sight of Katniss. "You're just dying for some more action, aren't you, Girl on Fire?" Cato says mockingly.

Katniss moves to shoulder her bow, muttering, "Always."

Cato shakes his head at her and raises a hand as if signaling her to stop. His is holding his bloodied sword in his other hand. "If you raise that bow, I'm going to take the spear off my back. I can hit you square in the stomach from this distance. It will be unpleasant, I promise."

"Not if I hit you first," Katniss replies sharply, waiting for him to make a move.

Cato throws his head back and laughs, a musical sound that resonates in his chest. Katniss shifts uncomfortably, and worries about Peeta briefly. She does not trust this boy and she fears him, standing only a few feet from her. "Go ahead, Girl on Fire, shoot me. I can guarantee that if you do, I will still live long enough to gut you."

Katniss hesitates because she knows he speaks the truth. Unless she hits him in the face or exactly in the heart or throat, he may well live through the pain, even while his organs fail. If so, he would throw that spear at her, or worse just stab her with his sword. Katniss has seen deer run miles with arrows sticking out of their bodies, so why would it be so absurd that Cato could too? This is not something Katniss wants to test.

She lowers her bow and glares at him, wishing she could have just killed him and spared everyone else in the arena gruesome deaths. He is clearly a monster, no question about it. Cato is breathing heavily, and his hands are stained with blood. He is watching Katniss closely, his bright eyes running up and down her form and Katniss tries to not allow it to affect her. "So, what do you propose we do? I have your bag, and you have my bag. You don't want to die, and I don't want to die," Katniss says grudgingly.

Cato looks down at the bag beside him and thinks. "We leave the bags where they are on the ground, walk in a full circle until we each get to our own pack. Anyone who steps out of line gets killed. Simple. You make one move towards me; I fuck your shit up."

Katniss raises an eyebrow at his language, saying archly, "Fuck my shit up, huh? Kind of like what you did to Foxface right there?"

Cato sneers at her, saying, "Exactly, but I'll take special care with you."

They both begin to slowly circle, each walking away from the bag beside them. Katniss slowly side steps, watching Cato the whole way, just waiting for him to make a move against her. Cato moves calmly, as if he has no fear of Katniss at all. Perhaps he doesn't fear her, and that thought unsettles Katniss even more. "You can try," Katniss says softly, "but we don't always get what we want, now do we?"

"Really? I'm not familiar with that problem," Cato says as he inches closer to his pack, just as Katniss almost reaches hers.

The only issue now is that Cato is blocking her way back to Peeta. In order to get back, Katniss will have to go around him or through him. Not to mention Clove is still in Peeta's grasp; hopefully. Katniss stops walking as her feet finally come into contact with her bag. She slowly begins to reach down, her eyes never leaving Cato's, because now he is looking more predatory than ever.

Moving like a snake, Katniss quickly grasps the bags and pulls it up to her shoulder, looking ready to bolt at any moment. Cato smirks at her coldly again as he grabs his pack as well. He watches as she anxiously looks at the land beyond his shoulders and he instinctively knows what she is worried about. Cato plays on her fear, knowing it will throw her off even more, giving him an opening. "You don't honestly think he will be alive when you get back, do you? Clove knows multiple ways to kill someone, he's no exception."

Katniss hardens herself against the jibe. "She can't do jack if she's being restrained. Peeta is strong; he's stronger than you think!"

Cato gives her an unfriendly look, displeased with her vehement defense of her partner. "We will just have to find out won't we?" He said coldly, wanting to prove to her that Love Boy was nothing compared to the might of a career tribute.

Suddenly, a large form blasts through the trees, knocking Cato over instantly. Katniss steps back in horror, recognizing Thresh. The large boy stands up, glaring over at Katniss and down at Cato's form. He points at Katniss, snarling, "You. Did you kill that girl there? Did you mutilate her body like that? Cruelly?"

Katniss shakes her head wildly, feeling all thought fly out of her head. "No. It was h…him," she says, pointing at Cato, who is starting to stand up.

Thresh gave Katniss another glare before turning to Cato. "Then it was you, you and yours that killed the little girl from my District, just like you killed this girl here. You kill for enjoyment, and you deserve to die."

Katniss slowly starts to move away, knowing this is not something she wants to be involved in. She is no match for Thresh, there is no way it's even possible. She would prefer to leave him with Cato. She moves away, further and further and Cato glares at her furiously, taking up a fighting stance. "You coward," he hisses at her.

Katniss shrugs nonchalantly as she prepares to disappear, smiling. "Sorry, I'm feeling a little tired; I'll let you field this one, seeing as you're so strong and mighty."

"YOU SPINELESS BITCH," Cato shouts after her as she runs back to save Peeta.

Of course she would run back to Lover Boy. _She loves him, after all, _Cato thinks bitterly, turning to face his opponent.

Thresh moves closer, his machete in hand, growling, "You are a monster. Nothing but a monster, and I will be the one to rid the world of the likes of you."

Cato shifts on his feet, flipping his sword in his hand, enjoying the feel of it. He will not run. He does not fear anything. "Is that so? Because I don't think you are going to be able to kill me."

"And why is that?"

Cato grins darkly, preparing to charge, his muscles bunching up under his skin. "Why? Because I don't want to die, you idiot, and I _always_ get what I want."

Thresh charges and Cato moves like lightning, all the while thinking that he better finish this business up quick because Clove is in danger if Katniss gets back before him.

That would be…unfortunate.

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><p>AN: **The move Katniss used to strangle Cato is from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, called the Triangle Choke.<p>

So, we have Cato doing deadly battle with Thresh, and we got Clove as a prisoner of Peeta. How long will she stay there? What is Katniss going to do when she gets back to camp? Was Peeta able to handle with wildcat from District 2? Most importantly, who the hell is going to_ die_?

Read and review, hope you enjoyed the chapter everyone!


	10. Drown

**AN: **Yikes it has been awhile. Sorry guys, this is my second to last week of school and I've been struggling to study and such before exams (which start on Monday).

Good Question: From the lovely and awesome Jam and Doughnuts: _"Also, is "Life After Peeta Mellark" set after this, or is it a different story, or is it what happens at the end of this story?"_

Honestly, I figured it was a parallel AU, something that honestly COULD have happened at the end of this story. Except…I think Life After Peeta Mellark is much sweeter. This will be going down a slightly different path after the games.

**Disclaimer: **No I do not own the Hunger Games or the characters. Those belong to Suzanne Collins.

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><p>:::049. Drown:::<p>

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><p>Say good bye<br>As we dance with the devil tonight  
>don't you dare look at him in the eye<p>

-Breaking Benjamin "Dance With the Devil"

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><p>:::<p>

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><p>It's been fifteen minutes already and his muscles are positively on <em>fire<em>.

Every move Cato makes seems to add to the awful pulling sensation sneaking up his arms and legs, the tightness in his chest. He did not expect Thresh to put up such a good fight. Cato's arrogance and pride has always blinded him, causing him to underestimate his opponents. Only after eight minutes of intense struggling against Thresh did he finally realize he that he is up against someone who really has nothing to lose. By the fifteenth minute Cato's body began to ache.

Thresh moves fast for having such a large form. He almost takes Cato by surprise with his quick movements with the machete. Cato can tell that the other young man does not have finesse or skill, but the all consuming urge to get revenge seems to lend Thresh an unbelievable advantage in the fight. Cato is simply fighting because he wants to live. Thresh is fighting because he wants to see Cato _die_, and he doesn't care if he lives afterward.

Cato can faintly hear his father in his head, saying,_ Fighting a man with nothing to lose is more dangerous that fighting a man with the will to live._

Cato now understands what his father was trying to tell him. No matter what he does, no matter what scathing remarks he makes, his opponent simply _does not care_. No matter how many insults Cato throws, Thresh simply comes at him harder, slashing his large machete left and right in a wild flurry. Cato ducks and dodges and tries to figure out where he is going wrong in this fight, because he doesn't fucking lose, not like this, not to some pathetic slum kid.

Panting heavily, Cato moves away quickly, trying to assess the situation. He pulls the spear from its shoulder harness on his back and begins a ranged attack on the other boy. Perhaps keeping Thresh at a distance will help even the odds. Thresh only grunts in annoyance at this change of attack and starts hacking violently at the spear. It only takes Cato moments to realize that Thresh is trying to cut the spear in half, rendering it nearly useless in most instances. _Shit, _he thinks angrily. This is not going according to plan. If Clove were at his back right now, this wouldn't be such an issue.

_Damn that bitch for getting caught, _Cato thinks, cringing as Thresh grabs at his spear and tries to yank it out of his hands.

Cato digs his feet into the dirt below him, trying to get a good footing so that he doesn't stumble and fall. Leaning backwards, he uses his body weight to pull his spear from Thresh. Unfortunately, Thresh lets go quickly, sending Cato flopping onto his rear. Thresh growls, seeing an opening, prepared to make his move. He charges at Cato while the other boy tries to regain his footing. Cato tries to dodge, but his muscles are failing him, exhausted from overuse. He efforts aren't enough this time.

Thresh catches his upper arm, his machete blade digging deep into his bicep. Cato cries out it pain, nearly dropping his weapon. In desperation, he kicks out at Thresh, catching the boy in the stomach hard enough to cause him to fall back to regain his breath. Cato crab crawls backwards, away from his opponent, looking down at his bleeding arm. The wound is a clean cut, and blood is pouring from it steadily. It stings, burning like fire up and down his arm. If he thought his overstrained muscles hurt, this is worse. Glancing up briefly, Cato can see Thresh regaining his wits. The other boy is glaring fiercely at him, clenching his machete tighter. Cato can see a splash of his blood staining the gleaming blade. Thresh is starting to move towards him slowly, viewing his target as finished.

"_Look at you! How pathetic are you? A real man wouldn't cringe over an injury, he would fight through it. Get up, Cato."_

_His mentor. His father. His world._

"_But Sir, I-"_

"_Get. Up. Pain only means you are alive."_

Cato bites his lip hard, letting the memory lend him strength. Pain; as long as he feels it, he's still alive and that's better than being dead. He waits on the ground, letting Thresh get closer. Why not allow the oaf to believe that he has given up? Cato plasters a worried look on his face, hoping to lull Thresh even further into a false sense of victory. There is no emotion aside from anger on Thresh's face, however. There is no sign at all that he has completely fallen for the ploy.

Thresh stands over Cato and raises his machete up, ready to swing it down for the killing strike. Cato grins up at him, laughing, "Do it. Or are you afraid to finish the job?"

Thresh does not respond, but his resolve to destroy Cato only seems to strengthen as he angles his machete to take off Cato's head. Cato sees the opening and draws out the dagger he has hidden in his boot, driving it deep into Thresh's thigh. Thresh howls in pain, and jerks away instantly, allowing Cato to dive at him, taking him to the floor while he is distracted. Thresh struggles violently, his hand going to the knife stuck in his leg. Blood is pouring through Thresh's fingers and Cato grits his teeth as he prepares to use up the last of his energy to finish this.

Cato struggles to straddle Thresh's chest, trying to keep the large boy under control as Cato repeatedly punches him in the face, listening to the sickening sound of flesh being struck hard. Cato knows that Thresh will bleed out; he knows this because he hit him close to an artery in the leg. If Cato holds out just a while longer, he will be able to live through this shit. Thresh's face is beginning to look like a bloody pulp, and Cato's hand is starting to resemble it as well. His breath is coming in large gasps from exhaustion, but the sight of victory keeps Cato going; he isn't going to die today, hell no.

Cato reaches behind him and grabs at the knife still stuck in Thresh's thigh. The other boy has begun to weaken from blood loss already, Cato can feel it. Watching Thresh's face carefully, Cato yanks the knife out of the wound hard, watching as Thresh's eyes roll in pain. Cato absently wipes the blade on his pants, catching his breath, saying mockingly in between gasps, "Is…something wrong? You look…fucking tired."

Thresh snarls at him, his teeth smeared with blood. Hope begins to die in Thresh, because he knows that he will not be able to beat this foe. "Screw you, District 2. You will get yours…in the end," he grits out furiously.

Cato smiles coldly. "I'm sure I will, but not today."

Then, fast as lightening, Cato plunges the knife into Thresh's face repeatedly, closing his eyes against the blood spray that bathes his face. Thresh doesn't even make a sound as he dies, and Cato can admire that. The body stops twitching below him and Cato knows his opponent is finally dead. The cannon sounds in the distance and confirms what he already knows. Cato takes a deep breath, trying to steel himself against the exhaustion taking over his body. All he wants to do is collapse, but he knows it will look utterly weak to the Capitol.

However, it seems that fate is not on his side in this matter and Cato just can't get enough strength to care. He slides off of the dead body and flops onto the ground, taking deep shuddering breaths. The blade is red in his hand, as is his face, bathed in the blood of the boy beside him. Deep down Cato knows he needs to move, because Clove-

Cato's pale eyes open instantly. _Clove. _"Shit," he hisses out.

He doesn't know how long he has been fighting for, but he knows enough to understand that the Girl on Fire left him to tangle with Thresh a long time ago. There is no way she hasn't gotten back to that cave. Cato buries his head in his hands, trying to think. When he left the cave, Katniss had followed him, and he had left Clove with Lover Boy. Cato just can't decide if Clove would have lost to Lover Boy. Had a cannon sounded while he was fighting Thresh? Did he not notice?

Either way, he needs to go back to the cave, because Lover Boy and the Girl on Fire need to fucking die at some point during these games, no matter how tired Cato is. Plus, he left his partner in their slum rat hands- he can't just leave her there if they haven't killed her yet.

Groaning, Cato stands up, feeling pain shoot up and down his back. If this is how his over worked muscles feel now, he can only imagine what they will feel like later. Cato picks up his scattered equipment and begins to walk back in the direction he came from, back to the cave, Clove, and the Girl on Fire.

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><p>:::<p>

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><p>Clove screams for him a multitude of times and Katniss knows that Cato is too busy to hear her desperate pleas. When she enters the cave, she finds Peeta looking worse for wear, bloodied and scratched everywhere. It has clearly been a difficult feat keeping Clove restrained. The younger girl is crumpled on the floor, trying to keep from whimpering in pain in between her shouts for help. It appears to Katniss that Peeta has done a little more than restrain her. "What did you do to her?" She asks.<p>

Peeta scowls, trying to look like it really isn't his fault. "She wouldn't sit still and kept trying to stab me. I broke one of her hands. She didn't like it too much."

Katniss gives Peeta a look and he simply raises an eyebrow at her. Katniss can read the message in his eyes, the message that says, _if you were here, you would have done the same. _Katniss eyes the dark haired girl on the floor. She can't decide what to do with the girl. Killing isn't Katniss's thing, not when it comes to humans and cold blood, but there is something inside her that says this girl shouldn't be left alive, not with Cato running around. She crouches down next to Clove and moves to examine her broken hand. Clove snarls and twitches her body away like an injured animal. "Don't touch me with your filthy hands!" Clove hisses.

Katniss raises both hands away from her. "As you wish. I was just going to look at it for you."

Clove simply laughs bitterly. "I've already looked at it, twat. It's broke, snapped, and twisted. Nothing can be done, thanks to that mongrel boyfriend of yours."

Peeta scowls at Clove, saying to Katniss, "We need to get rid of her before Cato comes back. What do you suggest we do, Katniss?"

Katniss bites her lip and thinks, because she is sitting here with a girl who isn't fighting anymore and she can't help but wish that Peeta had taken care of this before she had gotten back. Katniss wants to yell at him, but she realizes that Peeta isn't a killer, not even an ounce of one. She isn't even sure that he would be able to kill a bee, even one that was pestering him. It just wasn't in his nature, so why did Katniss expect to come back and find a gutted girl bleeding out on the floor of the cave?

Clove's eyes dart between the pair and she sneers at them. "Really? You two truly are pathetic. You can't even kill little old me, not even while I'm incapacitated here on the floor with a broken hand? If I were you, I would have killed me a long time ago."

Peeta gives her a dry look, saying, "Then I guess it is a good thing for you that we aren't you, right?"

"Screw you, Lover Boy! Cato will be here soon anyway, and then you are all dead."

"Enough, both of you!" Katniss shouts angrily.

The other two occupants of the cave go silent. Katniss stares into Clove's hazel eyes and says, "We could just break her other hand and leave her here. She won't be able to throw knives if both of her hands don't work. Cato may be able to bandage them up, but it isn't like they will heal in time. Someone else will kill her before they do."

Clove lets out a bitter laugh, shaking her head slowly. "If you do that, you might as well kill me; Cato will gut me for being useless and he will make sure it hurts like a bitch. Almost like how he gutted that little girl as she died."

Katniss's heart nearly stops beating at those words. "What?" She asks dangerously.

Clove grins darkly. "You know what I'm talking about, don't you? That little girl…what was her name? Oh yeah, Rue. You know, the girl you left to die on the floor?"

Katniss's hands clench into fists, her nails digging into the palms of her hands. This is not something she wants to hear, especially not from this girl. Peeta is watching Katniss warily, because he knows this is a touchy subject with her. Katniss feels responsible for others that are her friends and the fact that Rue died under her watch makes Katniss feel like she failed the girl.

"She cried for you as she died," Clove continues, "and Cato just went right up to her and ripped her guts out. She screamed a little more because of that, before she died. So annoying."

Something inside Katniss snapped. Her hand reached out and grabbed Clove by the chin, cranking the girls head around so that they were looking eye to eye. Clove seemed to curl in on herself as she saw what was in Katniss's eyes. "Shut. Your. Stupid. Mouth."

Then Katniss hauls her up viciously, causing Clove to cry out in pain. She pulls Clove out of the cave and Clove begins crying out for Cato again. Peeta watches this warily and knows nothing good is going to come out of it. "Katniss," he says cautiously.

"Not. Now. Peeta." Katniss replies in a dead voice as she struggles to drag Clove away.

Clove struggles in her grasp violently. "Where are you taking me, you stupid slum rat?"

Katniss tightens her grip on Cloves neck and upper arm as she continues to guide her forward. She doesn't answer Clove, doesn't think the girl deserves an answer. She drags Clove over to the water where Peeta had formerly helped clean Katniss's shoulder wound. Clove stops moving and digs her feet into the mud, trying to stop Katniss from taking her closer to the water. "What are you doing?" Clove hisses.

Katniss can hear the fear begin to creep into Clove's voice despite the tough front the girl has put up. Clove knows what's coming, she knows it deep down, but now comes the part where she needs to accept her fate or fight. Clove chooses and begins to struggle even harder, thrashing against Katniss, elbowing her in the stomach, scratching her skin with her unbroken hand. Desperation to live, to see Cato again, to make sure he is still alive runs through Clove's mind like a wave.

Time is running out and her heart is like a ticker in her skull.

Katniss hardens herself against the struggling girl and tries to clear her mind of all thought, of all emotion, pain, and guilt. "You know," she whispers roughly into Clove's ear, briefly silencing the panicking girl, "I resent the fact that you are making me do this. It's not in my nature to kill someone in cold blood, unlike you, but I'll make an exception. _Just. This. Once_."

Then she hauls Clove forward and shoves her face right under the water.

_Just this once. _

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><p><em>:::<em>

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><p><strong>AN:<br>**So the games will be coming to a close very soon...exciting! Then I can move the characters into a position I want them in for after the games.

Poor Katniss...I think she lost it...


	11. Tears

**AN: **Hey everyone, sorry for the massive delay, I've been in Florida for the past two weeks so I wasn't exactly able to update! I know everyone is getting eager for the end of the games, and believe me it is right around the bend. I'm anticipating like one more chapter for the games and then we will be moving on to the 'after' part! Another note…I will be starting my job next week so I will be working 40+ hour workweeks again this summer. This may delay a few updates so I will have to figure out how to write a couple hundred words a day so I can get the updates out faster!

Also, thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews, I know a lot of you are getting anxious for romance to blossom. Don't worry, I'm getting there. I've been writing fan fiction for a loooooong time so I have grown past my era of making romance happen in the first few chapters. I view fanfiction as a way to practice my own writing technique so I am trying to train myself to write long novels without jumping into romance prematurely (this isn't Twilight people! jk jk. But seriously).

I also saw some people are sad about Clove and believe me, I'm sad too!

**Disclaimer: **No, I do not own the Hunger Games or any of the characters. Those all belong to Suzanne Collins.

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><p>:::048. Tears:::<p>

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><p>Everything feels <em>wrong<em>. Her arms shake with effort and her mind shudders against the horror of her own actions. The act of trying to become numb to everything is not as simple as Katniss had originally thought. Katniss can barely see beyond the red clouding her vision, the fury that is gripping her harder than her little sister ever had. Katniss sees red and she sees the body thrashing beneath her and she does everything in her power to not care.

Peeta is shouting and he sounds so far away. Katniss feels his hand grip her shoulder and she violently shrugs it off, focusing only on Clove, who is thrashing wildly beneath the water. Clove's crippled hand is doing nothing against Katniss's righteous fury and the other is simply tearing open Katniss's hand as she tries to get free. Blood is beginning to seep into the water, mixing in with Clove's dark hair. Katniss knows that Clove's lungs must give out soon, because no one can exhaust so much energy underwater without oxygen for long.

"Katniss, _stop_! Don't do it like this! You aren't a murderer!"

Peeta's pleas fall on deaf ears.

Katniss presses her body against Clove hard, forcing her further under the water, tightening her hands around the girl's neck. Clove's struggling begins to weaken slowly, but Katniss doesn't let up. She doesn't let up and she doesn't know why. A sick, dark part of Katniss wants Clove to die a slow horrible death. The other part of Katniss is screaming for her to stop this madness. She feels Clove make one last desperate attempt to escape, water splashing up into Katniss's face. Katniss feels her hands tighten against her will, as if someone else is controlling her, yet she knows it is all entirely her own fault.

The body goes limp in her hands. Katniss can no longer feels a pulse madly hammering against her hands.

"Let go of the body, Katniss, just let go," Peeta says in a monotone voice.

Katniss feels the body slip from her hands as Peeta gently pulls her from the water. Katniss numbly watches Clove's body drift downstream. Peeta gently guides Katniss to the floor to sit down and she is grateful because she isn't sure that she can stand anymore. There is silence between them and Katniss fears that Peeta is disgusted with her. She looks at her hands and feels her eyes water against her will as she stammers out in horror, "I didn't mean it. I didn't mean to kill her like that. I swear. I only meant to scare her, to scare her for what she said about Rue. Then I couldn't…I couldn't _stop_!"

Peeta gently brushes the hair from her face, kissing her forehead softly. "It's okay, Katniss," he whispers against her skin softly, "We are going to be alright."

His voice sounds empty, even to his own ears.

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><p>:::<p>

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><p>Cato pants heavily, making his way through the tree line close to the stream. He knows it will lead him back to the cave where Lover Boy and the Girl on Fire had been hiding. His wounds are burning steadily, but he ignores them as he trudges on. Pain is good. Pain is what will keep him alive and hungry to win. It was some time ago that he heard a cannon sound and Cato desperately hopes that Clove has killed one of the Despicable Duo.<p>

Hard grey eyes flash into his mind instantly and Cato feels a rush of panic. The Girl on Fire. Cato doesn't like to think about the differences between Clove and Katniss and when it comes down to it he doesn't even want to think about who is the greater warrior. His past with Clove tells him that his partner is fast, vicious, and unrelenting. His heart, however, admires what he sees in the Girl on Fire, for she is a survivor and survivors don't just _die_. At least, not to Clove.

Cato falters, wincing slightly against the pain in his body. _It better be that fucking Mellark that bit the dust, _Cato thinks menacingly.

Cato hopes that Lover Boy is the one that the cannon sounded for because he doesn't want Clove to be dead. She may be a bitch, but she tolerates him and his freakish quirks, knows him better than most people. On the other hand, he also hopes it wasn't the Girl on Fire because she belongs to Cato.

He is jerked out of his musings as he sees something moving in his peripheral vision. Cato turns his green eyes to the stream and feels his heart stop as he realizes what he is seeing. A body floating face down. His heart begins to sink further as he realizes that it isn't just _any_ body floating down the small river. Cato doesn't even recognize his own voice as he weakly utters, "Clove?"

She is irrevocably, unarguably dead.

A small sound escapes his mouth and Cato can't even pull on an uncaring face or feel ashamed that a small cry escaped his lips. He doesn't care that everyone in the land is watching him break down, right here in the middle of the woods. He limps towards the body and snatches it out of the water quickly before it passes out of reach forever. Cato drags Clove's lifeless form to the bank and sits down on the ground beside her body, staring blankly.

His gaze is on her face, her open unseeing hazel eyes, and he can't help but realize he never thought this moment would ever come. Somehow it hurts worse than having to kill her himself because he wasn't with her as she breathed her last. Cato bites his lip in frustration and grief and wipes a hand across his eyes. He knows that he needs to move because her killers must be nearby and the Capitol needs to…needs to collect her body.

"_Fuck_!" Cato shouts hoarsely.

He will never hear her laugh again. He will never see her throw her knives. He will never see her arrogant, better than everyone expression cross her face. Clove is dead, dead, dead.

It appears that the Girl on Fire was the better warrior after all.

Giving one last lingering look at Clove, Cato stands up, embracing his grief and pain and becoming one with it. He feels empowered and furious. Now he knows what he must do. Cato spreads his arms wide and grins nastily for the cameras, letting them all see that he is not about to lie down and fucking die. "Girl on Fire! You're going to fucking die tonight! I promise you that, one way or another, I'm going to cripple you beyond repair before you beg me for death," Cato shouts into the woods in his rage, "You're _mine, _Katniss Everdeen!"

Somewhere in the distance, a girl faintly hears shouts of grief and pain as she blankly stares at her shaking hands. The boy beside her shudders.

The end is near and Peeta Mellark can taste it in his mouth. It tastes like blood.

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><p>:::<p>

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><p>Far, far away, Haymitch Abernathy trains his tired eyes on a televised screen, staring at his wayward student. She is sitting dejectedly on the dirt floor, staring at her hands as if they are offending objects. He knows she is feeling guilt and horror at her own actions, because not many people who are not careers want to strangle people to death with their own hands.<p>

Using a weapon to kill someone who is attacking you is self defense and survival in the Hunger Games. Strangling an injured opponent to death while drowning them is a dirty, filthy way to off someone. Haymitch knows that the Capitol loves Katniss now even more for her brutality. If only they knew her like he did, then they would know that this recent turn of events is destroying her inside.

Haymitch watches her more closely and feels panic begin to settle inside his mind. If this event traumatizes Katniss enough, she will not be able to perform well enough to survive, and Haymitch doesn't have much faith in Peeta's survival skills. No offense to the boy of course, but the truth is never pretty. _The death of Rue hit Katniss hard enough, what will this do to her_? Haymitch thinks absently.

Suddenly, the screen switches over to the District 2 tribute, Cato. The boy is hovering over the dead body of his former partner and the tantrum the young man throws is frightening. Cato grins straight into the camera, but there is no happiness in the expression, just cold fury. Haymitch feels his heart nearly stop as the boy screams out for Katniss's blood. Haymitch closes his eyes as Cato continues to say horrible, horrible things. All Haymitch can think about is how he hoped that it would not come to this. The moment he had first saw the boy he knew that Cato was a killer, twisted from birth straight out of District 2. Haymitch had hoped beyond hope that Katniss would not be facing Cato in the end.

It appeared that Haymitch was going to be disappointed.

With his eyes shut he could still see Katniss a few days after arriving at the Capitol for training…

_Haymitch walked down the hall with his student, bickering amicably with her. They had been arguing over techniques when Katniss's grey eyes drifted away from him, her fierce attention caught by something else entirely. Haymitch looked up to see what had caught her gaze when he noticed the District 2 tribute swaggering by confidently, his eyes trained upon Katniss's. As he passed them in the hall, the young man turned his head slightly to maintain eye contact with Katniss and Katniss mirrored his action, following him with her own eyes._

_Then, just like that it was over and Katniss turned her attention back to Haymitch, although now she seemed distracted. Haymitch rarely saw such behavior out of tributes. If Haymitch didn't know better he would have thought that lightening had zinged between the two for that brief moment of eye contact. It was hours later that Katniss began to act strange. They were talking about how to defeat certain types of opponents in close combat; Haymitch hoped that Katniss never had to deal with that, seeing as she was on the small side out of all the tributes, an archer, and lastly a female. _

_She cocked her head to the side, as if deep in thought. "What about large opponents? How do you propose I fight someone much larger and stronger than me?"_

_Haymitch paused, looking at her closely. "You are thinking about the boy from District 2, aren't you?"_

_Katniss's expression was closed and Haymitch could not even begin to figure out what was on her brain. "I'm thinking of large opponents in general, Haymitch," she replied flatly._

_She was lying, of course. Perhaps she was concerned about Thresh, the other large tribute, but it was no mere coincidence that she had stared down the District 2 tribute only a few hours earlier. "You are not the best liar, but you already know that, don't you sweetheart? It would be best for you to take out the large opponents from afar. I'm sure you see why. They will not be concerned about you right away, hopefully," Haymitch said stiffly._

_Her grey eyes flickered over to the televised screen that currently held the smiling face of Cato. Her mind was filled with him and Haymitch would have been a fool to think otherwise. "He is a handsome boy, that one," he said vaguely. _

_Katniss's face contorted oddly, as if sickened by the idea, or with her own thoughts. Haymitch would have killed a number of people to find out what Katniss had been thinking at that moment as she stared at Cato's face. "Do you think I can beat him, Haymitch?"_

_Haymitch took her chin and forced her to look at him. "Katniss. Sweetheart. I have every confidence that you can beat anyone with your bow in your hand."_

_Relief and confidence swelled in her eyes and Haymitch saw fit to crush it because he knew overconfidence was not a good thing. "However," he continued, "If that boy finds you before you find him, you will lose. There is no question."_

_Disappointment and hurt filled her grey eyes in a way that Haymitch had never seen. Then the walls came down and she hid behind her cold demeanor, hiding her feelings away._

_Haymitch watched his students every day. He also watched the competition. He hoped that the careers would not mark his students because he had gotten quite attached to them. Especially Katniss, his star pupil. However, as the days passed he saw that his prayers were not answered, because Cato had taken an unusual interest in Katniss, his eyes following her everywhere. Like a hunter stalking his prey. _

_Katniss was as uninterested as usual, but Haymitch couldn't help but wonder how many emotions she was hiding inside herself. He knew that she saw a threat within the tribute from District 2, she just didn't want to admit it to herself._

_There were a lot of things that Katniss could never admit to herself._

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><p>:::<p>

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>There we have it, chapter 11. Yikes, I'm glad I am almost done with the games so I can get on to more fascinating things! I hope you enjoyed, I know I should have made this chapter much longer but you all have been kept waiting for it for too long so I cranked this out as quick as I could. I'm going to start on the next chapter tomorrow so I can get that ready sometime in the next few days!

Read and review if you liked :P

ps. you all rock. I'm hoping to start working on that companionship piece to "Life After Peeta Mellark" sometime soon too!


	12. Lose

**AN: **Yes, I am still alive. Sorry it has taken me so freaking long to update. I was working 40 hour work weeks all summer and that isn't including the 2 hour hour commute to and from work. Gotta love Chicago traffic, right? Anyway, now that I am back at college I have quite a bit more time to work on this.

Also, as a note, I am sure you have noticed that **Life After Peeta Mellark **got removed by the admins quite some time ago. Apparently some goofball thought it was too explicit. Go figure. I have moved it over to Archive of Our Own where they don't care about ratings.

**Warnings: **A crap ton of Peeta/Katniss in the beginning- sorry!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Hunger Games or any of the characters. Those belong to Suzanne Collins.

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><p><strong>:::Chapter 12: Lose:::<strong>

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><p>Peeta has sat beside Katniss all night and he is tired of watching her mope like all hope is lost. He nudges her gently with his foot as he stands up. "Hey, come on, we have to relocate and figure out what we are going to do. We can't just sit here, Katniss."<p>

Katniss barely acknowledges his gentle prodding. "Where would we go," she mutters flatly, "we might as well just find Cato and put an end to this."

Peeta sighs, shifting from foot to foot nervously as he stares into the darkness of the woods around them. He will not lie to himself; he is terrified. Cato could be anywhere, not to mention any sort of creature the Capitol could conjure up to make things interesting. He leans down and pulls Katniss to her feet, grunting with effort. "Stop being a dead weight," he growls against the soft skin of her cheek, secretly relishing being so close.

Katniss simply grips her bow and straightens slightly, pulling some of her weight off of him. "Lead on, Captain," she replies, her humor dry and her heart not entirely in it.

They walk some distance together, searching for a new place to hide out for the night. After all, remaining beside the cave for any longer would not be wise. Cato will surely find them if they stay there any longer. To Katniss, the trees are the obvious answer, but Peeta is against climbing and sleeping in one. Eventually, after having a quiet argument, they end up in a tree at a decent height, Peeta looking a little worse for wear. Peeta places his back against the trunk of the tree and pulls Katniss into his arms, his warmth surrounding her comfortably.

Katniss begins to drift to sleep after some time as she fights off her guilt and fears into the darkest recesses of her mind. Then Peeta jolts her out of her comfort zone as one of his hands close around hers gently, his other hand playing with the waistband of her pants. "What are you doing Peeta?"

"Nothing," his voice rumbles fondly in her ear.

The hand on her waist caresses her exposed skin and Katniss pulls away, hissing, "Peeta, seriously, stop with this fake romance bullshit. I'm not in the mood for it. The games are almost over we don't need to keep pretending!"

There is an uncomfortable silence and Katniss wonders if she has actually hurt his feelings or pissed him off somehow. She waits, holding her breath. Peeta seems to shrink into himself as he softly whispers for her ears alone, "Katniss, the day that I told the Capitol that I loved you, you remember that right?"

She nods, saying, "How can I not?"

Peeta pauses speaking once more, taking in a deep breath before continuing. "I wasn't lying that day. I…I care about you, Katniss. I care a lot."

Katniss feels the air in her lungs leave in a rush. She feels like she has fallen from high up, the way she can't even think because she is so stunned. It couldn't be true. All this time and she had never known. "Peeta, you are tired, you don't know what you are talking about. Just go back to sleep-"

"No, Katniss, you aren't avoiding this," Peeta says harshly, "I'm finally confessing my feelings to you, after all these years and you are going to sit here and you are going to listen to me!"

Katniss can almost imagine Haymitch's expression at this point. He is probably laughing his ass off at Katniss's blind stupidity of not being able to see how much Peeta has truly cared for her all this time. "But how? Why? Why me, Peeta? I come from nothing and you…you come from a good family," Katniss replies softly, still shocked. She has never been much of a talker, but Peeta has almost rendered her speechless.

Peeta pulls her to him roughly and kisses her forehead softly. "I don't care about money, Katniss. I care about you. Even after all these years, you are still the only girl I think about, you are always on my mind."

"_Peeta_-"

"Shh…it's alright. I'm here for you," Peeta continues, his voice breaking, "and I am going to make sure that you live through this, no matter what. It is what you deserve."

He watches as Katniss raises her head to look at him, tears in her sharp grey eyes. It is dark and he can barely make them out in the low light, but he can see enough to see how amazed she is. She truly had no idea, but he can't be too surprised, since he knows she has never had a boyfriend before, at least not in a romantic sense.

He holds her chin gently in his callused hands and says, "Tomorrow, we are going to win. We are going to end this."

This time it is Katniss who leans forward and presses her lips against his, her fingers tangling in his hair. Peeta sighs into her mouth and knows that this kiss is the first real kiss they have ever shared. He is going to savor it, enjoy the way she gently presses her body against his as she tries to get closer to him. He feels more alive than he has in days just because of this simple kiss, this simple moment.

What kills him is that this kiss might be their last.

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><p>:::<p>

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><p>Cato enjoys the feel of the blood rushing in his veins as he softly counts out his pushups. He didn't get a single wink of sleep during the night, but only because he has much more important things on his mind. In fact, he only has one thing on his mind now and he intends to fulfill his goal today. Today is the day that he wins, which also means that today is the day that he finally kills Lover Boy and The Infernal Girl on Fire.<p>

Curse that bitch and her boy toy too.

He feels no exhaustion, not anymore. Cato is a machine full of rage and hatred with only one purpose left. He is going to take home his victory and no girl is going to stop him, not now and not ever. The morning is chilly, but Cato doesn't feel the cold on his skin. He isn't feeling much of anything other and fire in his veins. He's been going through his drill routine all night long and he knows he is ready to destroy his adversaries.

Sitting up and brushing the dirt off of his pants, Cato stretches out briefly before attaching his weapons back onto his frame. "Ready or not, Katniss, here I come," he mutters darkly, striding off towards the last place he had seen the pair; the cave.

He does not expect them to still be there, because they would truly be idiots to have stayed in the exact same place. However, it is still a good place to start from. It takes about thirty minutes for him to reach the cave and as he suspected, there is no one there. Cato scowls, but he had known this would be the case. He can track a little, he isn't the best at it, but the arena isn't that big so he is sure to run in to them eventually if he keeps searching.

It feels like hours as he keeps searching. He found some footprints, but they faded away pretty quick after they entered a stream. Cato wishes he had paid more attention in tracking class, because it would have come in handy right about now. His mind falls to Clove, who had been good at tracking, and Cato feels sick and depressed for a brief moment as he tries to keep a hold on his anger, which fuels him more than any sadness ever could.

It is near lunch time when the entire world goes dark. Cato frowns up at the sky, _what the fuck, it isn't night yet._

The air becomes cold and the woods around him suddenly are far more ominous than before. Cato stands up from his crouch on the floor and he looks around, putting his back against a tree for safety. _This isn't a good sign, _he thinks nervously, wondering what the Capitol is up to.

Then the screams begin to echo throughout the arena and Cato is pretty damn sure that it isn't Katniss and Peeta screaming like that. It's a _horrible _sound, like little children screaming in pain and it burns its way into Cato's memory. "This is really, really fucking bad," he says as he stares in the direction the sounds are coming from.

He squints into the darkness and begins to see little lights in the dark, like glowing eyes. It doesn't take long for Cato to realize that those things _are_ glowing eyes. _Shit. _Within moments, the first monster like creature is erupting out of the darkness at him and Cato raises his spear instantly, impaling the hideous creature on the end. It wails in pain as it slowly dies, and Cato removes his spear, stepping away from the flailing animal. He is breathing heavily and he doesn't want to admit that it is from fear.

Cato only has a few moments to calm down when four more of the beasts emerge slowly from the darkness. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that he can't take on all of these creatures, not like this. As much as he doesn't want to, Cato turns and runs harder than he has ever run in his life. He sprints hard and fast, but he can hear the monsters panting behind him and they are gaining fast. Cato knows he can't keep up this speed for long and he needs to find high ground or rather the Cornucopia. He has no choice but to drop his spear and sword as they are slowing him down and screwing up his run. It is almost comical when he passes Lover Boy and Katniss, because he has been searching for them half the day and just when he doesn't have the time to kill them he finally finds them. Their faces are in shock as they watch him speed by like a demon.

He knows they will soon enough see what he is running from.

Even though Cato faintly realizes that the beasts are momentarily occupied with the new prey, he doesn't stop running. He keeps running at a dead sprint for the Cornucopia even though he thinks his heart is about to burst. He sobs in relief when it finally comes into view and he climbs up the walls quickly before flopping onto his back, breathing hard. Once Cato begins to get his breath back he realizes that there is a very real chance that his prey could possibly die out there at the hands of those animals and it slightly pisses him off.

So he waits patiently, checking to see if he has any weapons left. He finds that he still has his knife, but that is about all. He will have to be quick if he wants to kill the pair; that is if they survive the woods. It feels like he is waiting forever when the howls of the beasts grow louder and closer. Cato moves to his feet ready for anything. This either could mean the other two were dead and the creatures were coming for him, or the pair was headed straight for him.

Within moments, Katniss is boosted up over the side and Love Boy follows, both breathing heavily and looking exhausted.

Cato only grins. Checkmate.

Katniss is the one who sits up first and checks her surroundings, squinting in the dark. Peeta simply lies still, panting like a dog. Katniss can't help but wonder where the other tribute went, because she has a sinking feeling that this was the only place Cato would have run to and she knows that she and Peeta are not in any condition to fight. All is silent at first, as if the creatures below are simply waiting for something to happen. Katniss figures that the Capitol has silenced the obnoxious creatures since now the Capitol is about to have the show it was looking for.

Clearly the point was to lure all of the tributes to one place for a final showdown. Which meant Cato was close and probably already watching her and Peeta. Of course, her fears are always correct. Katniss stands up quickly when she hears feet pounding towards her, knowing it can only be one person. She raises the bow up, but simply isn't fast enough as Cato reaches her quickly, yanking the bow out of her grasp. Katniss shrieks and watches in vague horror as her bow goes sailing off the edge, down to the ground beside the monsters lying in wait. "Katniss, watch out!"

She hears Peeta's shout too late as she slowly steps out of the way of Cato's knife. Fire burns through her side and she feels the sharp edge of the blade dig into her flesh. The pain is unpleasant and Katniss clutches at the wound, whimpering in dismay as blood begins to pour through the spaces in her fingers. She looks up at Cato, his blue green eyes burning with something beyond anger. "There is plenty more of that right here, princess," he snarls at her, starting towards her again with his knife raised.

He isn't paying attention to Peeta, he isn't paying attention to him at all, but that is working in Peeta's favor completely. The bread boy throws his weight against the District 2 tribute and he pulls him away from Katniss bodily. Cato shouts out in a rage, thrashing wildly as they tumble to the ground, but Peeta holds on, trying to get a grip on the knife. If he can get the knife away from Cato, they might survive this after all!

Peeta punches Cato in the face hard, hearing a satisfying crack, but it isn't enough to keep the enraged young man down for long. Cato swings his elbow back into Peeta's face and Peeta stumbles away in pain, holding his nose. Cato assesses the situation from his position on the ground and sees Katniss on the floor some ways away, trying to keep her insides together and on the other side Lover Boy is spitting blood out of his mouth. Cato grins coldly, because he figures Katniss will be easy prey if he can just get rid of Lover Boy.

Cato goes at Peeta like an animal, shoving his knee into Peeta's gut hard, causing him to double over in pain with a shout. Katniss is groaning in pain on the other side of the Cornucopia and Peeta knows he is on his own in this for the moment. He faintly sees blood staining the front of her clothes and he feels faint with fear that Cato cut her fatally. Peeta's thoughts are briefly cut off at he is slammed into the concrete floor beneath him and Cato straddles him, punching his face repeatedly. Peeta doesn't know if he should be thankful that Cato doesn't have his sword or mortified since being beaten to death is probably more painful.

Katniss feels like she is going to die. Blood is leaving her body at a dangerous pace and already she is beginning to feel faint and dizzy from the loss. Biting her lip against the pain, she watches Peeta struggle with Cato on the other end of the Cornucopia and she knows she has to do something. She scans the floor for anything to use to distract him, but only spots a large, hand sized rock a few feet away. Gritting her teeth, she crawls towards it, breathing in and out as if the puffs of air will be her last. Finally, she reaches her destination and clenches the rock in her hand holding on to it tightly as she struggles to stand up with all of her remaining energy.

"Hey, District 2, eat this!"

She flings it at Cato as hard as she can and watches with satisfaction as it hits right between his shoulders. He cries out in pain and moves away from Peeta quickly to assess the new danger. His eyes are glittering with murderous intent as he stares Katniss down, shouting, "_You just don't know when to quit, do you_!?"

Cato is done with this. This is his moment and he is going to finish it all for good. No one is going to steal his glory and he is going to watch the light disappear from Katniss Everdeen's eyes.

Katniss watches in horror as Cato comes back for her, charging with his knife in hand. She doesn't have the energy to move away, definitely not fast enough. She is bleeding heavily and she is tired, oh so tired. Cato is getting closer, a feral grin on his face when he realizes that she is close to giving up, and Katniss doesn't have the energy to care about that anymore. Suddenly, an achingly familiar voice rings out loud and clear, cutting through the fog of her mind.

"_Katniss_!"

As if in slow motion, Katniss feels herself being pushed out of the way harshly and the world spins around her. She crashes to the ground hard, knocking her head off of the cement, causing her to cry out in pain. There are more shouts in the background, shouts of pain that aren't coming from her. Then faintly, as if the noise is coming from a far land, she hears the loud speakers of the Capitol echoing all around her and a scream of rage coming right after it.

Then, though she can barely see through the fog of pain and unconsciousness clouding her eyes, she sees a booted foot coming straight for her face seconds before it hits her.

Then everything goes black.

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>Oh shiz...that can't be good.

Hope you enjoyed, I know it was pretty much all action stuff, but oh well we are moving on to new things now. Read and review :)


	13. Lie

**AN: **Yes, I am still alive. My last semester at college was stressful...but I just graduated early so now it is time to get a career :)

Anyway, here is my gift to you. Also, _Life After Peeta Mellark_ has been moved over to Archive of Our Own in case you were still looking for it since I've had so many people PM about where is went, seeing as it was removed for being too explicit.

Secondly, I actually have a large smut fic for Cato/Katniss that is about to be completed also. It is another oneshot and it should be completed soon, just an FYI if you are interested. (the sad thing is, it will probably get removed also for being too explicit, go figure. Therefore it will definitely be at Archive of Our Own)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Hunger Games or any of the characters. They belong to Suzanne Collins.

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><p>::: Lie :::<p>

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><p>White. Everything is a painful white. Even the noise, echoing, ringing in her ears, is like a background sound to the pounding of her heart. The sound of her heart thundering in her head is the only sign she has left to tell her that she is alive.<p>

She is…alive?

Katniss bolts up into sitting position and cries out raggedly as a sharp pain cuts through her side. Confusion floods her mind along with the pain as she blinks wearily at her surroundings, lost among the white of the room she is in. "Whe…where am I?" She croaks out, sounding as if she hasn't used her voice in days.

Perhaps she hasn't.

There is no response, only the soft beeping of the machine hooked up to her body. Katniss looks down at her hands, watching as they shake uncontrollably. These hands do not look like her hands. Her hands should be much bloodier, shouldn't they?

She hears her own breath coming fast and her heart almost stops when Haymitch appears before her. It takes a moment for him to come into focus, but his hand is suddenly warm on her shoulder and it feels like he is dragging her back down into reality. "Hey sweetheart, how are you feeling?"

Katniss blinks at him, almost numb. "I don't understand. What is going on here? What happened with the games?"

There is a pitying look in his eyes and she pretends not to notice it because she doesn't want to know what it means for her. Haymitch inhales deeply and grasps one of her hands awkwardly. "Katniss, the games are over. You are in the medical department."

The words almost mean nothing to her. "The medical department? But…how? Why am I here?"

Haymitch brushes a stray hair off of her forehead. "You were injured, Katniss. They patched you up pretty good though. It has been two days already and you are almost completely healed. You will have a scar though; there isn't anything they could do about that."

Numbly, Katniss glances down at her side where a bandage is tightly wrapped around her. There is a soft ache and nothing more. There are a few cuts on her hands, but it appears that the doctors did not find it necessary to heal those. Her face hurts as well and as she reaches up to touch her cheek, Haymitch catches her hand and pulls it away so that she cannot touch herself. "Your face is heavily bruised. You were kicked in the face…I'm sure it looks worse than it is, of course."

Katniss blinks slowly, still feeling sluggish from whatever drug they had her pumped up with. Her limbs feel as if they are moving in slow motion and she feels so weak, weaker than she would ever like to feel. It reminds her of home, the weakness she felt when she barely had enough food to survive. The thoughts in her mind are a jumble, but there is one thought that keeps coming to the front of her mind, like an alarm that just keeps ringing. "Haymitch, where is Peeta?"

The soft words are met with silence, a silence that makes her heart pound even louder in her skull. Haymitch's eyes are avoiding her own and the signs aren't positive. "Haymitch," Katniss repeats, more forcefully this time, "where is Peeta? I want to see him."

Deep down, in the darkest part of her heart, she knows the answer even though Haymtich hasn't said anything yet. She just doesn't want it to be true. Haymitch takes her hand and softly squeezes it. "Perhaps we can talk about that when you are feeling a little better, you need to get some rest still."

"I've had enough rest. I've been resting for two days. Where. Is. He."

Haymitch takes a deep breath as if preparing to plunge into cold water. "He is dead, Katniss. Cato killed him. It was a fast death, almost painless I am sure. He was stabbed straight through the heart. He stepped in front of you to save you from the killing blow that Cato was going to land on you instead. I'm…sorry. I wish it didn't have to turn out this way. For either of you."

"He died…to save me? Are you saying he could have lived if he hadn't stepped in front of me?"

Haymitch says his words slowly, because he isn't sure he likes where this conversation is going. There is danger here in this room and he isn't equipped to deal with broken hearts and minds. Except with alcohol, he can fix issues with that. "Perhaps he could have stood a chance if he chose to defend himself, but no one will ever know for sure. He wasn't a fighter, not like Cato."

"So this is all my fault then. Just like Rue."

Haymitch watches in horror as her body begins to shake uncontrollably. Katniss's grey eyes are wide, tears streaming down the side of her face. "Katniss," he starts to say, almost afraid of her reaction, but she cuts him off.

"Why?" Her broken tone cuts him to the bone. "Why couldn't you have just lied to me? Why couldn't you have just said he died fighting, not that he died taking the blow for me? Don't you know how badly that hurts?"

"I thought it would make you feel better, to know he cared about you that much," Haymitch says.

Her eyes are cold and wet all at once. Katniss shakes her head furiously. "Well, you thought _wrong_. I didn't want him to die for me. I didn't want anyone to die because of me!"

"You can't change what has already happened, sweetheart. He died to save you and you should be grateful for his sacrifice. You are here and alive. Get over it. I did," Haymitch grits out harshly, tired of the self pity.

And it is no wonder, he has wallowed in self pity half his life. It isn't a fun place to be. Katniss freezes at his words, almost looking as if she is going to burst out sobbing again. Haymitch secretly hopes that she doesn't because he _hates_ weeping women with a passion. Instead, the tears stop and Katniss goes quiet, her eyes going dark, as if she has just thought of something else. "Cato is dead, right? If I'm alive, I'm the Victor, correct?"

_Ah, shit. She just had to ask that, didn't she? _Haymitch thinks sourly, biting his lip.

"No, actually. There are two Victors this year. You are the second only because Snow wanted you to be kept alive. For entertainment purposes, I am sure. Your family will still be provided for though." Haymitch adds the last part hoping it will soften the blow.

"He's alive?" The words are casual, surprisingly so.

Haymitch nods. "They had to pull him off of you, at the end. He was about to finish you off after he did Peeta in…but Snow intervened."

Katniss's eyes have a wild look in them. "Where is he?"

_Ah, shit. This isn't good._

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><p>He's fuming. No, he is more than fuming; Cato is livid. "Who does that old fuck think he is? What right does he have to make me share my glory with that…that…<em>filthy<em> _peasant_?"

His mentor only raises an un-amused eyebrow. "Oh, I don't know, perhaps it could be because he is the president? Could that be it, do you think?"

Cato clenches his fists hard and glares down at the floor with a look that could surely burn through metal. "I wanted to be the winner."

"You are the winner."

In a flurry of motion, Cato is on his feet, snarling viciously across the room. "I wanted to be the _only_ one! How is it that the one year I am a Tribute, there ends up being two Victors? What the hell did I do wrong?"

Brutus only sits quietly, waiting for the wrath of Cato to cool down. "You did everything wrong. You didn't kill District 12 off in the beginning of the games. If you had done that Snow wouldn't have been able to interfere. It is your fault alone that you have brought this shame upon yourself."

He watches in cold amusement as Cato shakes in a wrathful silence. He can tell that the mercurial young man is yearning to break and destroy the room, but he dares not because Brutus is one of the only men he fears to act out in front of. Brutus can only feel pity for the boy, as he knows that deep down, shame isn't the only thing Cato is feeling; it's fear. So Brutus decides to voice the fear that he knows is living in Cato's heart in softly spoken words.

"What will your father think?"

Cato freezes and turns, his pale eyes wide with horror. "Does he know? Shit, of course he knows. _Fuck_. What am I going to do?"

Brutus only strokes his chin, leaning back casually in his chair. It would do for the arrogant boy to be knocked down a peg; there is no use in sparing him what it going to come. "He called me earlier. He is very disappointed in you."

"What did he say?" Cato whispers, his voice sounding young, like a boy awaiting his father's punishment.

Which he is, actually.

Brutus sighs and closes his eyes, thinking back to his conversation with the head trainer of Tributes. "I believe he said something like, 'I never thought my son would turn out so worthless.' Yes, I think that is right. That about sums up what he said when I brought you up."

If anything, Cato turns even paler; his normally cold eyes wide open and hurt. All the rage from earlier is draining from his body as he internalizes his 'failure'. He buries his face in his hands and bites back the urge to draw his blunt nails down his face. This isn't the victory he dreamed of, oh no, it is far from it.

This is a _nightmare_.

They sit in silence for a few moments, Brutus almost pitying his charge and Cato shifting through the gloom in his mind. "So. What am I to do now?"

Brutus pours himself a whiskey and takes a sip, staring at Cato's hunched form. It is amusing really; what would the Capitol think if they saw their brutal Victor now? "Tomorrow morning they will bring the girl out of the hospital and prepare her for the interview sessions with Caesar. You will be joining her at her side. They expect you to be civil. I do hope you won't embarrass yourself further."

Cato turns red for a moment, as if he is about to protest violently, but then he simply sags in defeat. "I have no choice in the matter then, do I? How did this all go to fucking shit?"

Brutus stands, bored with the whole situation already. The boy will have to fix his own problems now; Brutus is tired of cleaning up his messes. "Figure it out, Cato. You're eighteen, an adult. Start acting like it."

He leaves the room with finality, the door slamming behind him. Cato doesn't even flinch, lost in his own thoughts. This is far from what he expected. He dreamed of being a Victor, but not like this. He didn't even get his revenge on the Girl on Fire. Worse yet, she _lives_ and every breath she takes is an offense to him. He has yet to avenge Clove's memory.

"FUCK!" Cato shouts, his voice echoing back at him all around the empty room.

It's like some unending drama and he can't stop it. What's worse is he knows his father will be coming soon…and nothing burns Cato more than his father's disappointment. What's more is that Cato _is _the disappointment this time.

"_I can't do it. I'm just no good."_

"_Can't do it or won't do it? No son of mine will give up as easily as you do."_

"_I…I can't…"_

"_Pick up the damn sword!" His father's shouts are so loud that Cato cringes into himself._

_He is eight years old and the sword is heavy. His hands are beginning to callus from trying to heft its weight. His father doesn't believe in giving him light practice swords, he believes in making him stronger, faster than anyone his age. His father plans on making him the best of his class. His son will be the best killing machine the academy has ever seen._

_Cato's father never fails at doing anything he puts his mind to._


End file.
